The Burning Family
by Sarah the mutant farm girl
Summary: Sam agreed to go to Thanksgiving dinner with Autumn and Athena, at their foster parents. What he didn’t realize when he agreed was how much easier demon hunting was than family gettogethers. But while fleeing the family Sam has a vision. They turn back a
1. Chapter 1

**The Burning Family**

**Disclaimer:I'm not Eric Kripke**

**A/N: Okay everyone run screaming and hide! We are about to begin number three. At this very moment Katie and I have 16-ish pages written out and that only accounts for four chapters! I'm so proud of us. The chapters might actually be a decent length this time around. So you probably read the summary and know this is about the Daemon girls taking the Winchester brothers home for Thanksgiving. PLZ review if you read! I beg of you. It will only take a few seconds of your time. Even if you just tell us that we suck and should stop while we're ahead. Seriously, that would be wonderful! HUGE thanks to Poisonchick88 for her support, and to The Sammie (dear friend of ours) for being the first to read. Now with out further ado… **

**Chapter One**

"You comin' or what?" Dean asked Autumn who was still talking with Curtis. She leaned forward kissed Curtis' cheek before bounding over to her car. "Ladies first."

"Then get your ass on the road, pretty." she grinned.

Before he had time to make a remark she revved her engine and peeled out of the drive. Sam had Athena on the cell talking with her, not like they didn't get enough time to talk while they were off the road, they had to talk on road too. He settled into his seat it was going to be a long drive back to Ohio. They had settled everything in Kelsey, and were ready to head off on their next hunt. But there was the small issue of the girls' family.

"Okay, call if we have to pull off….. Bye." Sam shut his phone and looked towards Dean.

"Why did you agree to go to Thanksgiving with them? We know their family's a bitch." Dean complained.

"Because, we don't have anywhere else to be. And there's no reason why we can't spend time with Autumn and Athena."

"You spend every day with them! And now you want to go and spend the day with their bitchy foster mom?"

"Is everything bitchy to you?"

"No. But I can't see spending the day with someone if she's just going to complain about everything we do."

"You don't know she's going to complain about everything."

"Okay, fine. But if she asks me to say grace to pray or whatever, I'm out of there." Sam reclined his chair and got comfortable to sleep.

"Wake me up when we get there or if we stop for something." After a couple of hours of driving, Metallica, and AC/DC Dean pulled off to a little country kitchen miles from anywhere else. Athena and Autumn pulled in behind them and parked in the next space over. Athena was asleep in the passenger seat so Autumn had to shake her awake. Dean, on the other hand, got out of the car and opened the passenger side to wake Sam who was leaning on the door.

"What the hell! Why couldn't you just wake me up like a normal person?" Dean laughed at his brother.

"Much more fun this way." He smiled and walked away from his brother to join the girls inside. Shortly after Sam followed.

"Why are we here?" Athena asked sleepily.

"For food. We've been in the car for about three hours, aren't you getting a little hungry?" Autumn replied.

"No… I'm tired. The four scooted into the nearest booth and pulled menus from behind the salt and pepper. Before long an older woman came up and took their order.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sam turned and looked at Athena. "You don't look so good." Athena smiled at Sam's concern. Although her face was a little grey, she felt fine.

"I'm fine. Tired, but fine. And I really don't want to put up with Morton's shit." Athena rubbed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the booth seat and shut her eyes. Sam looked at Autumn who just shrugged .

"Aren't you a little concerned?" Sam whispered. "She's grey…"

"Yeah, she lost a lot of blood too. Maybe that's why. She's been through worse don't worry about her." Autumn whispered back.

"Why do you care all the sudden anyway?" Dean asked.

"Because…" Sam replied.

"Because why?"

"Because I care, okay? I care about Athena. Is that something so bad?"

"You don't have to whisper. I'm sitting right here." Athena said lifting her head from the back of the seat. "You're all really bad at it, anyway. So what're we doing this week besides going to Bitchy-Morton's for Thanksgiving? Do we have any excuses to get out of that hell hole?"

"We could always go see Joshy and Kit, they're always hungry for attention. OH and Father Bill." Autumn suggested.

"Who's Josh and Kit?" Dean asked.

"These gay guys we know. Josh was the captain of the football team until he came out of the closet at the end of the season senior year. Then I brought Kit home from college, for spring break and he and Josh hit it off major." Autumn told him.

"They live together?" Dean seemed really uncomfortable with the idea.

"Yea, they're life partners." Athena said matter-of-factly.

"Sis, order some orange juice and we'll stop and get you cookies before we head back out. I don't want you getting sick on me."

"I don't like orange juice. And I'm really not going to be hungry after this so I don't see any reason in getting them."

"You're going to get the damn orange juice and you're going to eat some cookies." Autumn said behind clenched teeth.

"Fine. But I'm not going to like it." Athena called over the waitress and asked for some orange juice and anything that related to a cookie. Of course, the waitress looked at her weird after ordering pancakes, sausage and coffee. "My sister says I have to. I just got out of the hospital and apparently I need it so…"

"Oh, I see. Well your order should be right out. And I'll bring your orange juice and cookie right now. It's on the house though, so don't worry about paying for it." The lady said.

"Thanks." Athena said with a smile. After the waitress left they all continued on the conversation. "I know it's sweet of her and all, but how much is orange juice and a cookie going to cost?"

"Like $5 maybe? I don't know I didn't even know this place had cookies so surprise, surprise."

"How's your arm Autty?" Dean asked.

"Hurts like a SOB after that last road we were on. What was that thirty turns per minute?"

"Take your antibiotics yet?" Dean pressed. Autumn shook her head. "Where are they?"

"In my pocket." she pulled them out. Dean took them from her shook two little pills out and handed them to her.

"Take them now." She popped the pills in her mouth and swallowed. "Let me see." she opened her mouth and showed she hadn't hidden the pills. "Good girl. Maybe we should get you a cookie too." Autumn rolled her eyes.

"So you're not, like, homophobic or anything are you?" she teased.

"Don't worry Dean, they'll just love you. Eat you right up." Athena giggled. Dean made a face at her.

"Very funny."

"Dean, you are a homophobe aren't you?" Sam laughed. "That's rich."

"So, ghosts, vampires, and werewolves are fine but a little man on man lovin' isn't cool?" Autumn asked.

"Well, I'm not running around killing gays, and I am killing werewolves, and vampires so maybe it's the other way."

"Dean, they're just looking for a good time." Athena said with a giggle. She laid her head on Sam's shoulder and waited on her cookie.

"Look, I'm not afraid of them… anymore." Dean hung his head.

"Anymore!" Athena laughed hard but ended up coughing. "You were afraid of a little man on man action? How long ago?"

"Here's your cookie and orange juice, ma'am." The lady sat the drink and cookie on the table in front of Athena.

"Thanks again."

"Not a problem. Hope you get to feeling better." Athena smiled at the lady who just walked off.

"I love old people." Sam unwrapped the cookie and sat it on the wrapper in front of her afraid she may have been too weak to open it herself. "I'm not dying, Sammy." She broke the cookie in half and offered it to Autumn who shook her head. She went to the next person who was Dean, who also shook his head.

"Sam do you want part of the cookie?" Sam took half of the chocolate chip cookie Athena had in her hand and started munching on it. Athena picked up the other half and began moving it up and down saying "Help me! Help me! I'm going to hell!" until she caught a glimpse of Autumn's face. She looked up at her sister.

"Just eat the damn cookie!" Autumn said impatiently. Athena looked offended but took a mousy bite of the cookie. "I swear, you're enough to drive an insane man sane."

"So I'm sobering?" Athena asked.

"No, when someone isn't sober the last thing they want is you."

"Dude!" Athena looked like someone had just dropped ice down her shirt.

"Just speaking the truth, fog horn." Autumn said. The waitress came and started setting down their food, when she reached towards Autumn who was in the far corner Autumn reached up to help. But the moment the weight of the plate was fully on Autumn she dropped the plate and Dean just managed to save it.

"Are you alright miss?" the waitress asked. Autumn nodded trying to keep from grabbing at her arm.

"That's it. Give Sam your keys your not driving until you can hold a plate." Dean said. Autumn managed to twist and turn until she got the keys wiggled out of her pocket, she begrudgingly handed them over to Sam.

"So genius what's the new sitting arrangements?" Autumn asked before shoveling eggs into her mouth.

"You ride in the trunk." he grinned a sausage link hanging out of his mouth like fat cigar.

"You couldn't take me, even with my arm in bad shape." she sneered. Sam and Athena watched the two.

"Battle of the asses." Athena said leaning toward Sam who snickered.

"Laugh it up, bloodless." Autumn pointed her fork at her sister. "Seriously, though, am I riding with you or what, Dean-o.?"

"You'll ride with me, I want to hear about this family of yours."

Conversation died away after that so breakfast could be consumed. Athena perked up after she got food in her. Even with the pint of blood the doctors had put in her she was a little low. They had wanted to keep her a few days longer and let her rest up but she hadn't liked the idea of sitting around waiting on her blood to build itself back up, hooked up to IV's and getting fed cafeteria food. So she'd convinced them to let her out early. Now her biggest worry was explaining things to the Mortons.

Sam paid and Athena followed the older two out to the cars. Autumn fed John their leftovers to keep him occupied while she switched some of her stuff over to Dean's car. Really just a pillow and light blanket, she wasn't sure how long he was going to keep up the father act. He insisted on her bringing the dressing materials for her arm, too. Sam came out and leaned against the Impala.

"You moving in there or something?" he asked watching Autumn sift through the first aid box.

"No, just trying to please, my daddy." she said nodding toward Dean.

"You know usually when a girl calls me 'daddy' I'm in for a lot more fun." Dean remarked.

"I'm not fun?" Autumn tried to sound hurt. Athena rolled her eyes.

"Not really. You're an annoying, know-it-all, prude, who won't put out." the younger sister teased.

"Ask Billy-Jack about all that." Autumn mumbled under her breath. "Okay, can we hit the road?" Dean shook his head.

"No, I want to see your holes. I don't want you getting all infected, your not taking your meds like you should."

"You want to see my holes?" Autumn asked her brow cocked. Dean look flustered for a minute running his hand over his face.

"Don't start Autty." he warned. Autumn pulled her arm out of her sleeve pulled away the tape holding on the gauze pads. Dean stepped closer to look at the stitch work. Her arm didn't look so bad, a little red around the offended area but nothing to worry about. He had to tug the side of her bra up to see the broken skin there. It had a yellow crust over it and was puffy around the immediate area. "You MUST keep an eye on this, Autty." he scolded her as if she were a small child.

"You ready, Sammy?" Athena yelled from the passenger seat of her sister's car.

"See you guys when we get there. Hopefully Athena will be awake enough to give me directions." Sam walked away from the Impala and climbed into the drivers seat of the red mustang and drove off.

"Are you going to be awake the rest of the way?" Sam asked.

"As long as possible." Athena answered settling into the passenger seat leaning it back, she was a little dizzy from being up and moving, and it didn't help seeing her sister's pus filled, stitched up, bullet wound.

"Does Autumn always take such good care of her battle wounds?" he asked taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at her.

"No, usually she's pretty good about it. But she's spent so much time worrying over me, it's funny you know? She told you not to worry, and yet that's all she's done." Sam grinned nodding.

"She's your sister it's her job to worry herself sick over you. It's what the oldest does. We are privileged to be the youngest. The baby of the family, we get whatever we want just by making puppy dog eyes. The slightest hint of loss sends our older siblings on a guilt trip." Athena laughed.

"She always picked up my slack. Even when she was pissed with me she made sure all my chores and homework were done right and on time."

"Dean, too. I always thought he was making up for our parents, maybe it really is a big brother/sister thing." Athena shrugged.

"Both are plausible, I don't remember Autty, being so protective and everything until Mom got sick." The pair slipped off into tales of being saved from unknown, minor horrors by their big brother/sister, while sitting in the Impala Dean and Autumn were having an entirely different conversation.

"Stop squirming." Dean said impatiently.

"Then don't pour alcohol in an open wound." Autumn countered pulling away again. He had gotten her to remove her shirt, and then undo her bra so he had easy access to the infected area.

"If you had taken care of it to start with." He pulled her toward him a little rougher than he'd meant to and tears welled up in her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. But, it's infected, and it's just going to get worse. What are you going to do when gangrene sets in?" Autumn bit her lip and held her arm up for him to continue. "At least you put deodorant on this morning." he teased.

"Shut up." She laughed. "Of course I put deodorant on this morning." Dean started gently cleaning out the wound, careful not to pull any of the stitches. It only took a few minutes once she stopped fighting him. "Here," she handed him a gauze pad. "I know I really don't need to do that, that I should let it air out but my bra rubs it and it hurts like hell the way it is." Dean didn't say a word, mostly because he could only think of inappropriate things to say. He placed the square of white material over the area then used medical tape to keep it in place. Autumn twisted around in her seat and let him hook her bra back, before pulling her shirt and then jacket on.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Autumn didn't make eye contact with him, she looked pretty much everywhere but his eyes. "Come on, now's not the time to get embarrassed. I didn't see anything I haven't seen before." Autumn just leaned forward and turned on the radio. This was exactly why he didn't date. Women were all too prone to changing moods on a whim. It was like catching fog. He backed out of his space and headed out for the high way. "Tell me when I need to change directions." she nodded.

"I won't lead you wrong."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: One quick note, I miss spelled Poisonchik88's pen name. That is the correct spelling... I think. Alright kiddies enjoy chapter two. Then as always remember my e-mail box is always open, send me any questions, comments, or suggestions. R&R**

**Chapter Two**

A day and a couple hours of non stop talking and driving later, Athena told Sam to turn right into the next driveway. They were on a back road in a pin prick of a town, about an hour or so drive north of the Ohio River. The town part had taken all of five minutes to get through and that was with the heavy holiday traffic. Athena had expertly lead him through the twists and turns of the country road that had been carved into the land by horse and buggies around the property lines, creeks, and out cropping of trees.

"Bitchy-Morton's home sweet home." She said. "Where life outside of here is never hell." Sam laughed and continued driving down the long gravel driveway. Before long he could see barns and a couple silos.

"This is where you grew up?" He asked.

"Pretty much. Moved here when I was 11 or so. Moved out when I turned 18. Of course Autumn stayed with me until then so we could get the hell away from The Bitch." She answered.

"How bad can she be?"

"You have no idea Sammy."

Autumn was leaned up on the dash looking off in the distance. The driveway must have been half mile long, all there was to see was a green pasture on one side and a plowed field on the other. When suddenly the barns popped into view Dean wondered why the Daemon girls hadn't been more at home in Kelsey.

"SHIT!" Autumn slammed her fists in to his dash.

"What?" he asked slamming on his breaks.

"I forgot to tell her I'd been shot." he cocked his eyebrow and looked at her like she was crazy.

"You forgot to tell the woman who raised you that you'd been shot?" Autumn reached into her pocket and started pushing buttons on her cell.

"Just stay put for a moment." the phone was pressed to her ear and she didn't say anything for a long moment. "Hey Mom, you must be out. We're pulling in the drive right now. I wanted you to get the dogs and kids out of the drive. My arms still in bad shape and Teenie isn't quite normal yet. Don't worry though I'll take care of it. See you after bit." she hung up her phone. "There." she said stuffing the thing back in her pocket.

"That was it?" he asked stunned that all she had to do to make her mistake better was a message on an answering machine.

"Are you joking, all I did was smooth the iceberg."

"You said you're arm was in bad shape and Athena wasn't quite right. How's that smoothing the iceberg? Won't she yell and complain that that's all you told her?"

"No I told her everything. She just don't remember it."

"What?"

"Look, all I have to say is I told her already and she must not remember it. And there what I said is reminding her. Even though she don't know. It's like a lie. Just go with it." Dean was still confused but figured he'd just go along with whatever Autumn and Athena said. He pressed the gas pedal hard to get to the end of the driveway to make sure Sam and Athena knew what was going on. He got down the driveway in just a matter of seconds and Sam and Athena were already talking to an older woman on the front porch. When she seen Autumn she made an angry face at her. She had her arm around Athena who was holding Sam's hand.

"If you got my brother in trouble I'm going to kill you." Dean said leaning over to Autumn and unhooking her seatbelt.

"Don't worry. I'm the biggest screw up known to man kind when she sees me it wouldn't matter if Sam had gotten every female he knew pregnant and left them, she'd forgive him and move on to my huge flaws." Autumn soothed swinging open the door. Dean followed suit a beat slower. "Hey Mamma!" Autumn called waving her good arm.

"You're late." the woman said looking past Athena and Sam.

"I know, we ran into a few complications a few days back, remember me telling you about that?" Autumn stayed so cool that Dean almost believed she was telling the truth. "Now don't make me do introductions when your cross at me." she gave her foster mother a smile Dean hadn't yet seen; it was a cross between her 'I didn't do it' grin and her 'I'm way too guilty for you to punish me' smirk.

"Who're your dates?" Autumn sighed.

"This is Dean, and Sam. I told you they were old friends from college."

"Okay. Well come on in you're going to have to help me set up." Athena shot her sister the 'you haven't told her yet' look. Autumn shrugged and walked up the few stairs onto the porch and into the house. Everywhere Sam and Dean looked there were antiques. It looked as if they sat down they would break something. They followed the girls into the kitchen and grabbed as many plates as they could hold and Autumn and Athena grabbed silverware. Dean watched Autumn's face of pain. He took the forks and knives from her and told her just to help cook. Autumn would have argued him and he knew it but her mother was watching. "Thanks Dean-o."

"No, problem, Autty." Sam and Athena exchanged faces of disgust at the nick names usage.

"What's wrong with you? You never cook." Mrs. Morton demanded.

"I told you last week Mom, I was shot." She opened the oven to take a look at the turkey.

"You are truly useless, girl." Mrs. Morton sighed. "Well, I guess you should just go upstairs and rest or something." the woman shook her head as if being shot was something Autumn had done on purpose.

"No, I'll go get our stuff out of the car. Where are my girls I brought presents?" Autumn asked.

"Martha called a few minutes ago, Billy had to go over to those fags house this morning that stupid heifer of theirs died and they want it buried now. So, she just got the girls back from the funeral. Your father is in my room. Don't you dare wake him either. Or I'll be using your head as a center piece." Autumn nodded.

"Yes, of course not." she headed out the door and was met by a very excited John. The dog was bouncing up and down wagging his tail, he'd obviously found his playmates for the next few days.

"At least one of us is going to have fun this weekend."

Autumn opened the cage and let the dogs out to run and play with John. Then she walked over to the mustang and pulled a couple duffel bags of clothes with her good arm. She knew if her and her sister weren't dressed like ladies or something similar they'd hear it for the rest of their lives. The rule was, they had to wear dresses or something that looked decent. And their dates had to wear suits. This was especially hard when they had taken the hitchhikers, but Mrs. Morton never knew. Autumn walked back in the house and upstairs to her old room. Mrs. Morton could never leave things the way they were. Autumn's room was once a light pink and had posters all around of guys she thought were cute, a couple bands, pictures of her and her sister and their friends. But now her room was maroon and had paintings of old houses and farms. The only room she ever had privacy in was now a guest room. She rolled her eyes and sat the duffel bags down right inside the room. She didn't even want to know where her pictures had gone or her posters or anything. Well anything except the one thing that had never been moved from her vanity.

On her vanity, since the day she'd turned eighteen, was a letter from her mother. A letter her biological mother had written just hours before dying. A letter that summed up all her hopes and dreams for her daughters. Autumn made a mental note to check on that later before bouncing back down the stairs to get another load of luggage. It took her six trips to get all of her and Athena's stuff to her room and all of Dean and Sam's stuff to Billy-Jack's room. She didn't take anything to Athena's room, she figured arrangements would be made later between the three of them. But neither of the three upstairs rooms looked as they had when she'd lived in the house. Well except Billy-Jack's bed, which still bore the marks a teenaged boy, and his over passionate girlfriend.

She padded down the steps one last time and ran right into the arms of her ex. He smiled the same mischievous grin.

"Hey, babe." He said.

"I'm busy. Leave me alone." She tried to get out of his grip but only ended up hurting her wound. She screamed in pain and within a couple of seconds Dean was right behind Billy-Jack.

"Excuse me what are you doing to her?" He asked.

"Back off twig." Billy-Jack said angrily, still holding Autumn tight against him.

"I'm sorry. I'll just go." Dean looked at Autumn's face. There were tears swelling up in her eyes again. He started to walk off but came back and punched Billy-Jack right across his face. Billy-Jack fell to the ground holding his face. Dean walked over to him and kicked him a few times before lifting Autumn's shirt to look at her wound. He had made it bleed, but the stitches were still in and tight. He put her shirt back down and squatted down next to Billy-Jack.

"I strongly suggest you don't try anything you stupid piece of shit." He stood up and walked over to Autumn and they walked off.

"You didn't have to do that." Autumn said. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to thank him or beat the shit out of him.

"It didn't look like you could do much about it." Dean said. The pair walked out on the front porch and sat on the swing.

"Look, I really appreciate it but," she paused and looked around. She took in every sight, sound, and smell letting memories of her youth swallow her up and finally spitting her back out to look at Dean. "He's an ass. My relationship with him was mostly self-destructive. I was in a place where I loved anything that hurt. It didn't matter how it hurt just as long as I hurt. He hurt me. Billy-Jack was very protective, and still thinks I'm his." Dean's eyes softened as he watched her. He didn't know if it was talking about him or the run in that caused her to fidget, but she wasn't comfortable at all.

"Then we'll just have to break him of that won't we?" Autumn smiled and leaned forward to kiss Dean's cheek, but before her lips made contact with his cheek they were tackled by three little blond four year old girls.

"Aunty Autty!" they screamed.

"My little angels!" Autumn managed to sweep all three into a great big bear hug and Dean slid off the swing and took a few steps back. "How are my girls? Have you been good? Taking good care of Mommy, and Daddy? What about that little bundle of joy, Nick?" The girls nodded their head causing curls to bounce all over in a fury like a golden tornado.

"So, still sneaking out of the house to kiss boys on the front porch?" Autumn and Dean were both shocked by this voice.

"Martha!" Autumn stood up and eased past the girls to hug a tall brunet woman, holding a baby. "It's so good to see you." she squeezed the woman tighter than Dean thought she could, but this reunion probably meant more than he thought it meant.

"You too. So whose Mr. Yummy here?" she asked nodding toward Dean. Autumn took the baby in one arm tickling it with the other.

"This is my colleague, Dean." The woman swept down on him and hugged him.

"She's told me so much about you, and your father. I'm glad to see you two made it out of that nasty wreck in one piece. You're brother with you?" Dean nodded.

"Yea, Sam's inside." Martha squealed like a school girl.

"You have to show him to me!" she told Autumn going to tug her forward but when she saw Autumn wince she paused. "What happened?" Autumn laughed.

"I was shot, nothing major I'll give you all the details after bit." reluctantly Martha took back her son.

"Come on girls, Aunt Athena's inside." The girls shot through the front door screaming. Martha went in calling after the girls to not run in the house.

"Who was that?"

"That's Billy-Jack's poor wife. She and I were best friends growing up. Not long after I left she and him went to a party and she got really hammered. Nine months later she had the triplet girls, six months before that she married Billy-Jack. It was a nice shot gun wedding."

"Uh huh. Well should we go back inside to save Sam?"

"Yeah I guess so." She walked back inside and followed the sound of Martha's voice which led into the Dining room. Athena was squatted down with her arms around the three girls. They were all watching Sam and Martha.

"No, I'm not married." he said. He was clearly scared of the woman although no one really knew why.

"Are you sure? You look so familiar." She pressed.

"I'm positive. No kids, no wife. No nothing. Not a girlfriend. Nothing."

"Oh! I thought Athena was your girlfriend." Athena blushed.

"Uh, Martha…" Athena began. "Sam and I were just setting the table. Could you help me find the tablecloth and we can tear it all down and start over? You know how The Bitch likes everything to be perfect." Luckily Mrs. Morton wasn't around to hear her new nickname. The two girls walked off to the basement to begin their search after Martha had handed Baby Nick to Sam. Autumn looked at Dean who gave her a nod.

"You'll be okay with the girls and the baby?" she asked. Dean nodded again.

"We'll be fine, go." Autumn took of after the other two young women.

"So?" Martha asked locking the basement door behind them. "They're so yummy, why no hanky panky?"

"Because we don't want Mrs. Morton holding us at gun point to marry a man we don't love?" Athena asked. Martha waved her away and started digging through the nearest box marked HOLIDAY.

"Seriously, all you talk about, Autumn, is how great they are. I get a phone call at least once a week where you are totally crushed on these guys and I saw that look he gave you…" she gave off the same sigh she'd given off when she and Autumn had been in love with their Algebra teacher. It wasn't a sigh, more of a hybrid between sigh and a moan.

"Things are complicated." Autumn said opening a box marked TABLECLOTHES.

"They're always complicated." Martha agreed. "But complications are only minor set backs. Like speed bumps and pot holes on the road that is life." Athena looked at Autumn.

"If she starts quoting Frost or Seuss I'm out of here."

"You two are seriously no fun. So at least tell me how you got shot." Martha requested.

"Dean left a gun sitting by the door of this room where a racist, prejudice spirit was beating the hell out of Athena. I ran in, spirit got even more pissed because I'm more sinful in her eyes, what else is new, so she grabbed the gun and started jabbering on about how I was a disgrace to my skin and then she shot me just before Dean and Sam vanquished her. Not a whole lot to it." Martha raised her brow.

"No hard feelings toward Dean for leaving a gun lay?" Autumn shook her head.

"He was in a hurry to save my sister, he didn't know I was going to be there. I was supposed to be occupying the house's keeper. It was an honest accident." Athena finally found the right tablecloth but all three women sat on the stairs a few minutes longer before going upstairs.

"I see… so what about you, Teenie? Why haven't you made your move yet?" Athena started playing with the white lace on the tablecloth.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just not the kind of girl to make the first move. He has to do it. And Sam doesn't make moves often. It's like something that only happens every thousand years. And he has a long distance relationship with a girl named Sarah. They talk every now and then on the phone, he met up with her on a hunt they were on before we met at a bar." She said.

"They're both adorable. You know, it sucks I'm stuck with Billy-Jack and you two have got Sam and Dean. I'd trade either of you in a heart beat. Billy can be such an ass sometimes. He's not the greatest husband either. He only married me because he got me pregnant. I think he only had intentions on having a one night stand."

"Let's get this up there before there's a melt down or something." Autumn stood up and beat her way back up the stairs. She was quickly followed by the other two women.

Some how Dean and Sam and managed to get the girls to remove everything from the table and place it on the chair directly behind the set up. Athena just had to lay the table cloth down then the adults made their way around the table replacing the plates and silverware.

"Autumn, go upstairs and check yourself. You don't want that to bleed for too long." Dean told her. She shot him a quick look and he softened again. "Please?" she snorted.

"Anything for you, Dork. Besides I've got presents I have to go get." all four children knew this word and suddenly brightened a hundred watts.

"Do you need help or can you handle them?" again Autumn looked at Dean wearing him down. "I know, I'll back down."

"Make your move." Martha whispered to Athena as they put silverware on next to the last two plates.

"How? I don't do that kind of stuff." Athena whispered back. Sam cocked his eyebrow at the two whispering women, though he had no idea what they were talking about since he couldn't hear them. Athena walked off the other way to still look casual.

"Well, I've got to go change. I'll be back down in a few minutes." Athena walked to the stairs but ran up them.

"She's doing pretty good since we got here." Dean pointed out.

"Yeah it is kind of weird." Sam agreed.

"Girls, you stay here with Uncle Sam and Dean. Mommy's going to go potty and she'll be back." The lady walked to the stairs too but ran up them just as fast, if not faster than Athena had.

"Uncle Sam?" Sam asked.

"Uncle Dean?" Dean replied.

"Uncle Dean don't sound as cool. People actually know me. All over the US!"

"Shut up."

"Autty your sister is renarded." Martha said.

"I am not!" Athena argued. "I just don't do this kind of stuff." Athena began going through all the duffel bags looking for an outfit that wasn't dirty.

"You can't make a move on a guy."

"It's going to be weird, Martha. We hunt together, we do everything together. What if he says no. And what if we break up. And what about hunting? All that is going to be really awkward."

"True… but look at it this way. You're going to have someone that loves you around you. I mean someone that _really _loves you. Die for you in a second, love."

"That's it? I have that from Autty already. And I know Sam and Dean would kill for me. I'd do the same for them, we're really close." She pulled out a black mini skirt, a white shirt and a black jacket, then began digging in one of the side pockets for a pair of silver hoop earrings. She walked across the hall into the bathroom and a couple seconds later Martha stood outside the door still continuing their conversation.

"No that's not it… If anything that should make you even quicker to jump on this ship."

"Martha, back down three steps please. If it's meant to be it'll be." Athena said through the door.

"Autumn," Martha called walking off. "your sister needs help." A few minutes later Athena walked out of the bathroom. Her hair was put up half way and the tips of her hair were curled.

"I'm not the best at walking on heels so, sorry about that." Autumn went in the bathroom then and came back out a little later in a yellow skirt with brown crossing lines and a brown short sleeved sweater that hung off her shoulders. She'd let her hair hang lose except her bangs, that she usually allowed to hang framing her face, which were pulled back in a black barrette.

"So now we go downstairs and piss away time?" Athena asked.

"Can. Depends on how much is left to do." Autumn answered.

"Okay well take the suits out and lay them on the bed. Send the guys up here to get changed and by then we should be ready to eat. I can already hear all the relatives downstairs."

"Why do we have to lay their suits out? They need to be ironed and all that good rot." Autumn complained.

"Right, I'll leave you to do that. Iron should still be under the bathroom sink." Athena grabbed Martha's wrist and started dragging her back down stairs.

"I hate you!" Autumn called after her.

"Don't worry I still love you." Athena yelled back at her sister.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:right now we are putting in about five pages a chapter. So hopefully we'll keep it in that neighborhood. PLZ Review. You'd want us to review if it were your story... Pleeeeeeease, I'll cry if you don't. (Who wants to bet this only works with toddlers?)**

**Chapter Three**

"Your little friend hit my son." Athena shrugged off Mrs. Morton's words. "Don't you care? He hit your brother." Athena turned away from her pot of unidentifiable gook, her mother was cooking.

"No, honestly. I don't."

"Well you should. He gave your brother a bloody lip and for some reason he has bruises on his back."

"Why should I care? He deserves it more than anyone I know or have ever met."

"You just keep an eye on that boy. If he touches my son again I'll have to bring out the big guns." the older woman warned.

"Yes, and Dean's a hunter too, he'll manage just fine with your 'big guns'." Mrs. Morton threw her hands up in the air.

"Where's your sister? I have to give her that talk about good friends and bad friends again." Athena shrugged.

"I don't now I've not seen her." she lied. Athena returned to her watch of the food on the stove as aunts, uncles, and cousins she only ever saw on holidays wove their way through the house. She could hear Dean in the next room telling one of her foster cousins that he was a rep. for a big modeling agency.

"Hey Teenie!" An older man said wrapping his arms around Athena from behind.

"Hey Uncle Tom! I thought you were busy on Thanksgiving."

"Not this year. I got time off. How's my girl been?"

"I've been pretty good. Got in a fight, lost a lot of blood and Autty got shot."

"You're okay though?"

"I'm just fine. You can't squeeze Autumn though, she got shot right between her arm and stomach so… it hurts her pretty bad." the old man laughed.

"Sounds like her. Falls off the horse and breaks her tail bone but landed on her stomach. That girl never did get injured in a sensible way. So, anyway who'd you bring?" Athena unwrapped herself from his embrace and led him into the family room. Sam and Dean automatically drifted toward her when they spotted her.

"Uncle Tom, this is Sam and Dean. Autty met them back in college." Tom shook their hands.

"Strong hand shake." he commented. "Sign of a good man… or was it a working man?" he shrugged. "Either way, its nice to meet you."

"You too, sir." Sam said. Dean gave an up nod and looked toward the steps.

"Waiting on something there kiddo?" Uncle Tom asked Dean.

"Not exactly, I sent Autumn upstairs for something that should have taken ten minutes and she's been up there almost an hour. If you'll excuse me." he didn't wait on a response he just clapped the man on the back and headed off to check on Autumn.

"He had a run in with Billy-Jack already." Athena informed her uncle.

"Oh, dear. That boy still needs taken out behind the shed?" Uncle Tom asked.

"More than ever."

"Well it sounds like the man has a brain." Uncle Tom grinned.

"Yeah, kind of. Dean's not always the smartest guy in the world." The man laughed.

"So did your sister just randomly call them, how long have you two known each other?"

"About a month." Sam said.

"A month, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. Well hey, I've got a lot more people to go say Hi to. So I'll be seeing you kids later." The man shook Sam's hand again, hugged Athena and walked off.

"Well he seemed nice, is the rest the family like that?" Sam asked hopefully. Athena laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I wish. He's sort of the family's Gandalf."

"Meaning what exactly?" Sam asked.

"He's the strange old guy that shows up randomly and always has cool fire works. He even has a staff." she straighten back up. "Well used to. Billy-Jack broke it during this Jedi phase."

"Dinner about ready?" Athena nodded.

"Yea, its getting close. Mom will wake Dad up soon. He'll like you." she assured him.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked looking around the room. He was aware that everyone was watching them and trying very hard to look like they weren't.

"Because he even liked the hitchhikers. Besides," she started to walk off back to the kitchen. "you saved our asses." Sam shook his head. This was promising to be a long two days.

"You okay?" Dean asked knocking on the bedroom door. Autumn was leaned over an ironing board.

"Yea, I'm fine." she said cheerily. "Just ironing your and Sammy's suits."

"Why?"

"Haven't you noticed the dress code? Yours is on the bed there. You can get dressed wherever. There's a bathroom across the hall." she sprayed more starch on Sam collar.

"I just met your uncle Tom." Dean said pulling off his t-shirt. Autumn kept her back to him.

"Really? He's usually busy this time of year. Did he like you?" Dean shrugged on the stiff white shirt and started buttoning it up.

"You need to lay off the starch or we won't be able to sit down." Autumn gave an airy laugh.

"I wouldn't be too worried about that. Everyone down there is stiff. There are only three beds up here. But my bed is the big bed so if you want Teenie, and I will share and you boys can have your own rooms again."

"You realize we did share a bed most the time growing up?"

"If you want to share my bed whatever. It really don't matter to me."

"So, this is your room? I pictured something… different." he said sitting down on her bed to kick off his shoes.

"Yea, well her highness can't leave well enough alone. She redecorated while I was gone. Just hope she didn't find my floor board." Autumn slid Sam's shirt on a hanger carefully lacing the sleeves through the jacket's sleeves before starting on his pants.

"Your floorboard?" Dean walked behind Autumn with his pants. He slid off his jeans and put on the black dress pants. "I didn't know people actually had floorboards where they hid crap."

"Yea, I have a floor board, and a hidden little room out in the barn behind a bookshelf. Back at one time I tried to dig a basement garage for our club house."

"What happened?" Dean asked amused with the idea.

"Our club house was by the creek and it was spring. The basement garage was flooded and it gutted the club house." she stopped her ironing to put Dean's tie on him. "We never did find our treasure map. But the bottle it had been in showed up a few years later floating in the pond."

"You must have had one strange childhood."

"It would've been fine had Morton not of tried to control it. Every kid has or had a clubhouse. Even if it was a few skids propped up against trees. Or sticks against trees and for roofs. It's a kid thing, they just like to have somewhere to go besides their friends house and their room." She finished with Dean's tie and handed him a black jacket. Neither one of them seen any sense in getting all dressed up like this, but Mrs. Morton was a pain and it was something they had to do. Even as kids they would dress up in little red dresses and the boys had their own suits. "Come on, let's go get Sammy so he can get dressed."

"Aren't you going to get the girls' gifts?" she shook her head.

"No, don't want all the little kids getting jealous." The pair trotted back downstairs and snaked through the crowd looking for Sam. They finally found him on a stool in the corner of the kitchen.

"Don't you look spiffy." he said when he saw Dean.

"Your suit is hanging on the back of my bedroom door. Go get dressed." Autumn instructed. Sam stood up and walked off to Autumn's old bedroom.

"Ms. Bitch knows Dean beat the shit out of Billy. It's pretty funny." Athena said standing at the stove.

"What'd she say?" Autumn asked laughing.

"She said that our little friend hit our 'brother' and that if he touches him again she'll bring out her big guns." The two girls started laughing harder than necessary.

"Big guns…?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Her big guns are having Mr. Morton yell at you. But it's okay, he just acts like he's pissed. He takes you behind one of the barns, talks to you about hitting him. He's amused by it so he don't care. In fact, he laughs about it. But when you come back you have to act like you just got yelled at a lot and try to keep a straight face." Athena explained.

"Uh huh… well I'm not sure I like this family. It's starting to confuse me." Dean complained.

"Welcome to my world." Autumn said.

Sam came down a little later with his tie crooked but otherwise looking like every other drone in the family. Martha pushed Athena to fix Sam's tie as if this was the greatest gesture known to man kind. Mr. Morton finally woke up and came out of his own will but refused to wear a suit at least not the normal kind of suit. He was wearing a jogging suit with a heavy looking gold chain around his neck sporting the word Grandpa. He hugged both girls tightly before shaking the boys' hands as they were introduced.

"So what do you think? Like my bling?" he asked a twinkle in his eyes. Autumn nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, it's wonderful. What does Mom think?" she asked.

"Betty Sue did some squawking the only word I understood was divorce. But I know better than to get my hopes up." he gave them a toothless smile. "Now, I need to find my little Kendra I think she stole my teeth again." As the man walked off Dean made a disgusted face as if someone had just thrown up on his lap and then began eating it.

"How can you lose your teeth to a little girl?" he asked.

"Who knows. Anyway, I'm pretty sure dinner is ready now. So as soon as Mrs. Morton announces it to everyone and they all sit down we should be okay to eat." Autumn replied.

"No, after that I don't ever want to eat again." Autumn rolled her eyes.

"You are such a baby, dork."

Even after dinner was announced it took a half hour to get everyone seated and the kids served before the adults could even look at their food. Every chance she got Mrs. Morton shot Dean a dirty look. Dean just kept close to Autumn and Athena, who weren't letting Sam far from sight either. Billy-Jack sat directly across from Autumn and made a point of making eye contact with her, even though she practically slid under the table when he did. Dean wanted to knock the man's lights out. He was married he shouldn't be bothering with any of this. Mrs. Morton stood up from her chair at the head of the table.

"Family, it's time for grace." she said her blue fawn hair seemed to glow under the light of the dinning room. "Why don't we have Autumn's guest say it this year, Dean, please?" Dean shook his head.

"No thank you." he tried to be as polite as possible.

"Please, say grace." Mrs. Morton pressed. Dean looked towards the only familiar faces.

"I'm not really a praying person." he tried, laying the charm on thick.

"Nonsense, boy. When the time comes we're all praying people." Mrs. Morton made another move to prove Dean unworthy of air. But Autumn to the rescue. She took his rough, calloused hand in her soft warm one; interlacing their fingers, in a not just praying manner, then laid the pair between their dinner plates.

"Join hands." she said making it obvious this was her stand. "Dear God, we are gathered here today as family. Our lives' paths forever crossed, intertwining, as we make our way to you. We give you thanks today for all you have and will continue to do for us. We may not always act as we should, but you are always in our hearts. Please forgive us for our sins, present and future. Finally we give thanks for our wonderful meal. Amen."

"Amen." Everyone said raising their bowed heads. Hands were released though Autumn kept his moving it into her lap. Food was served and only once eating commenced did Mrs. Morton comment on her prayer.

"That was certainly an interesting prayer, dear." Autumn smiled.

"I don't see how so. All I did was say what you and my parents worked so hard to instill in me."

"Yes, but we never said prayer was a weapon did we?" the pleasant tones of their voices did very little to hide the hostile emotions brewing just below the surface.

"You know what we do, God can be our best weapon. He, at least doesn't judge negatively to our job."

"Not now, Autumn."

"Why not?" Autumn demanded. "I think now is a right fine time. So what's the hang up this time? You said to bring someone, we brought two, amazing, polite, handsome, gentlemen who have been nothing but respectful to us, and your family. But that's not good enough. Billy-Jack is married. Martha gave him four beautiful children, and puts up with his shit better than I ever did! So it damn well, better not be that again." Autumn was lost, steam rolling her foster mother. "You took us in, fed and clothed us. Then released us to the world.! Trust your damn handy work! I mean, what the hell? We were good kids! The most trouble we ever gave you was a few detentions for tardiness. Now we do something we love, and get to protect innocent people. Save their lives! So can't you trust our choice of friends? Want to know their big bad secrets! Dean and Sam are after the thing that killed their mother, and damn near killed them and their dad.

"We're not just shacking up, not the way you think of it. There's no sex involved here. If Athena and I wanted to find a couple of guys for meaningless sex we wouldn't chose the sons of a man we respect like John Winchester! My God! I love the Winchesters! I genuinely care about them. If my death meant the complete and total destruction of that demon that killed Mary, hurting her men this way; I'd be dead a zillion times over!" Autumn let go of his hand finally slamming herself back and standing up. She never looked away from Mrs. Morton. "What's the worst that can happen, I might be happy?" this final question came out barely above a whisper before Autumn left the room. Athena shot him a glance that told him to chase after her sister. But that wasn't his style. He wasn't some puppy looking to please.

"Dean, Autumn and Athena have always been like daughters to my husband and I. We'd give anything to keep them" he didn't let her finish. He stood up to leave.

"Shove it lady. If you wanted to keep them safe you wouldn't have let your son treat her the way he does. Wanna know the really sick part? I mean Autumn is more than capable of dealing with your son, but his son will be raised to treat women the same way. You're going to stand by and let that bastard infect the next generation. Really, nice work." he left taking the same route Autumn had taken.

The room was silent for a long time the only sound was the chinking of silverware on china. Athena and Sam kept their heads down and Mrs. Morton just stood there looking over her family. The guests all ate awkwardly, and Billy-Jack glared at his food. When Mrs. Morton finally sat down some of the more exuberant eaters were starting on their second plates, and the kids table had erupted in laughter as Jimmy, a five year old belonging to a third cousin, balanced a spoon on his nose.

"That was some speech in there." Dean said wrapped his jacket around Autumn's shoulders.

"Meant every damn word too." they were standing on the back porch just outside the kitchen. It had gotten pretty chilly today and she was cover in goose bumps.

"So is this every family or just yours?" Autumn turned around to look at him and laughed.

"You are such an ass." he grinned.

"Thanks, I do what I can." Autumn shook her head and started pacing the length of the porch.

"Are you aware being with you is like skinny dipping?"

"You've been skinny dipping?"

"Yea, several times." Dean closed his eyes and chased the image out of his mind.

"So how am I like skinny dipping." he asked.

"Not you personally, but being with you. At first it sounds so cool, getting to hang with a hunter, then you doing it its just so exhilarating you don't know what's what."

"And afterward?" Autumn shrugged.

"I'm in the water here I don't know what it's like to just get out and walk off." Dean excepted this answer.

"You still cold?"

"Yea, but I've been colder, I'll live." he started to say something about all she needed was to get sick now too but stopped himself settling to just sit down on the steps.

"Must have been hell."

"What?"

"Growing up with that woman and her spawn." Autumn dropped down next to him and tugged at her skirt trying to keep it modest, not that he hadn't seen everything else already.

"It wasn't so bad. I mean, it was awful when I had to be with her."

"You liked being with him?" Autumn nodded.

"Yea, we went out for like six years so there must have been some good stuff."

"Six years shot to hell by hunting." he remarked.

Autumn didn't like to think of it like that, for her hunting was her big escape from the life she'd been living. A life that wasn't meant for anyone. Dean didn't say anything else and she was satisfied to sit in silence. They could hear conversation starting up in the dinning room. The shock of their display finally wearing off. Shortly after eating the family started leaving. At first just small numbers who had another family function somewhere else, then the numbers started growing, until only five or six extra bodies were around. Still Dean and Autumn sat on the porch lost in their own thoughts.

"He beat on you didn't he?" she'd hinted at it but hadn't actually come out right and said it. Now Autumn looked at him, slowly she nodded.

"At first I thought it was just rough housing, then it got worse. We didn't have to be goofing off for him to get rough. He'd do bad on a test or have a bad day then come home and hit me, yell at me. Like it was all my fault. I really never thought much of it. His parents acted like it wasn't going on so I figured it was normal. I was just thankful he only left bruises where you couldn't see them." Dean shook his head and looked down at the ground.

"That's shit." Autumn laughed placing her hand briefly on his arm.

"Yea, I know it is! But, it's the truth. Right up until I found your family again."

"Hey! I found them, Sammy." Athena poked her head out the door. "What are we doing?"

"What's it look like?" Autumn asked scooting back against the post that held up the hand railing.

"Looks, like you're hiding from clean up." Athena grinned. She came out and the door no sooner banged shut then Sam came out.

"Then what are you doing?" Autumn shot back.

"Same thing. We going to see the guys tomorrow?" Athena sat down by her sister holding her legs under herself.

"Yea, go pay last respects to Hefferina. Then we can run out and see Father Bill. Unless, of course, you had a better idea." Autumn leaned her head over on her sister's shoulder.

"Nope. Sounds good to me." Athena smoothed Autumn's hair out before pressing her cheek against the top of her head. "Mom wants to know how long we're in for." Autumn shrugged.

"That's up to the boys. When they say go we pull up our skirts and run."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Dinner was cleaned up and the men folk had all retreated to the den to watch the ball game. Martha had sent the girls out after dinner to run with the dogs when she'd called them in they'd been so wore out they hadn't made it farther than Sam and Dean's laps where they were now curled sleeping, neither of the two young men looked completely comfortable with the situation but didn't dare move to disturb the small children. Billy-Jack kept his distance from Dean though every chance he got he sized him up. Mrs. Bitch Morton was finishing up the dishes, so with John at their heels the girls followed Martha out to do the evening milking. The zing zing zing sound of the milk hitting the empty pail instantly called forth memories the way a bugle called men to arms.

"No, I never jumped out of the loft." Autumn protested as her sister imitated her landing.

"Then what do you call it?" Athena teased.

"I fell out." Autumn dipped her head down and tried to look like she was concentrating on her work.

"Falling with style." Martha laughed mimicking the voice of Buzz Lightyear

"No style. Believe me there isn't a stylish way to land on a pitchfork… or the tractor." Autumn corrected.

"Don't forget the rooster and how many times did you fall on the dog?" Athena piped up. Autumn glared over at her sister who had disinclined to actually milk and was supervising from the tool bench against the wall.

"Athena, I love you, but I'm afraid I have to kill you now." before Athena had time to think about what this meant she got a face full of milk.

"That's not fair! I'm unarmed." the younger girl whined.

"You two are worse than the children." Martha remarked coming out from behind her cow and dumping her pail in a large pot on the wood burning stove. Mrs. Morton had never believed that anything unclean should enter her home. This included the milk, so it was boiled in the barn then stored out in the milk house.

"Are not!" Autumn and Athena said in sync.

"Oi, Autty, tell Dean I said thanks." Autumn pointed for Athena to take over and stood up to stretch her arm out. She'd far from forgotten how to milk but even without extra rips and tears in your skin it was hell on the arms.

"What for?" she asked arching her back as she worked out the kinks.

"For putting the fear of… Dean in Billy-Jack." Martha went back to her milking. "I should rename Nick, Dean in honor of Dean's ass kicking. I mean that literally too." Autumn laughed.

"I'll tell him that. But I think he'd just like to be saved from Uncle Dean duty as repayment." Martha smirked turning her head, but keeping her hands milking, to look at Autumn.

"It's cute isn't it? You know you love the idea. Uncle Dean and Uncle Sam… Hell it could be Uncle Anus and it'd still be cute for those boys to be called that."

"Anus?" Athena asked.

"Yea, Hatfeilds and McCoys… one of the guys name was Anus, the locals called him Ole Devil's Anus." Martha had always loved family affairs that had taken on a memorable role in history, she'd spent much of her youth playing games based around the scandals of the English crown.

"I don't care, who names their kid Anus? He have a father named Gonad?" Athena queried.

"You are a very strange girl, Rhea." Martha marveled.

"Don't call me that. I don't know what my mother was thinking naming me after two Greek goddesses. I mean the goddess of wisdom and war, okay fine Athena is a pretty, some what normal, name but Rhea… what was she exactly?"

"Mother of the gods. She mothered Zeus, and Hades and there sister wives." Autumn threw in. "Besides you at least got off with names. I'm Aura… that's not a name. That's a paranormal energy put off from people. Mom must have wanted to be a hippy. You're a Greek goddess."

"Two." Martha reminded.

"Yes, two Greek goddesses, and I'm a season and an energy force. Might as well have named me Moon Shine." the other two got a real kick out of this laughing so hard they cried.

"Did you talk to Uncle Tommy today?" Martha asked getting herself under control.

"Yea, but what about?"

"He went down to visit his brother in-law or whatever in West Virginia. Well the man had a moonshine still up in the mountains and the two decided last winter, the same weekend they got the big snow storm, to climb the mountain and drink. They got so drunk they passed out woke up the next afternoon in puddles of puke and shit and couldn't get out of the shack the stills in because of the snow so they drank some more." Autumn rolled her eyes.

"I swear that man is beyond all logic." she remarked. Martha let the cow lose and Autumn led it out to its stall for the night.

"Yea, but you gotta admit he knows how to party." Martha offered up.

"Yes, but he'll disappear on one of his little trips and show up a dead John Doe somewhere in Mexico. Or someone'll have him locked up for his alien beliefs." Autumn argued.

"You know I don't understand that. Aliens grow eyeballs on plants, and warship our satellites but they come down here and abduct rednecks down at the mini mart and shove tracking devices up there ass?"

"So he claims, Teenie." Athena finished up her cow and put it back out. Once about ten years ago there had been a good thirty cows to milk, and that had to be done before school every morning. Now the Mortons were down to two. "It's a shame. Hefferina make four dozen cows this month." the little hairs on the back of Autumn's neck stood up.

"What do you mean?" again the Daemon girls sounded at the same time.

"Cows are dropping like flies. Four dozen, and a few dead births more than normal. The farmers are all tied in knots over it. They didn't get a great harvest this year because we barely got any rain, and when we did get rain it washed their fields clean, now their cows are dying off with out a sign of illness. There are a few of them who claim it's a sign from God, Uncle Tom's buddies all say it's the aliens. I just don't know what God or the aliens would want in killing off the crops and cattle." Martha said it all dismissively as she skimmed the froth off the top of the boiling milk.

"No electrical storms or anything is there?" Autumn asked. She'd helped John track down some of the information on his Demon and ever since it all came out she hadn't been able to escape the idea that every cattle death was the next burning.

"Couple of kids went off the road and hit one of the telephone poles and knocked the power out all over town." Martha looked up from her work. "Why, you sound all worried?"

"Just this thing John's hunting. Cattle deaths is one of the signs of it. But as long as the electricity stays normal I'm not worried." Athena shot her sister a look. Autumn was worried. She had every right to be too.

"Sis, did you call John today? We always call him on the holidays don't want to put up any flags… especially since we're disobeying orders." Athena was trying to turn the conversation but didn't think she was doing to well.

"What orders?" Martha asked.

"John don't want us with his boys." Autumn said with a sigh.

"Forbidden fruit. Do they know it? If they did it would make your move all the easier to make, Teenie Weenie. Guys love things they can't have." Martha was getting excited now.

"No, and don't call me Teenie Weenie. I didn't like it when I was little and I don't like it now."

"Fine, be that way, poopy head." Martha pouted. "Go make your phone call. Don't worry about me… I'll be just fine. All alone."

Autumn pulled out her cell phone wandered around the barn a little until she got a decent signal then punched in John's number. He was on speed dial but she found comfort in actually dialing it manually. The phone rang several times before pushing her through to voice mail. John redirected cases to Dean that way and then came the tone.

"Hey, Daddy Winchester! It's your girls, Teenie says 'hi'," Autumn held the phone over to her sister who greeted their mentor. "We were just getting ready to turn in for the day and remembered we hadn't called to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. You must be on a case or we've been bad girls because you never ignore me. Ha, ha. I heard through the grape vine about Pastor Jim and Caleb. I'm sorry. I know they meant a lot to you. I also heard you and your boys tried to fight a semi. Not too smart. Ya'll better be doing alright or I'll personally kick your ass for not calling us in for back-up. I don't want to leave a real long message so I'm gonna run. We love you and miss you and think of you all the time. Seriously, WWJD is What would John do for us. Night Johnny-boy." Autumn closed her phone.

"That sounded natural. WWJD? He'll never guess we're up to no good." Athena teased.

Kendra, Kelly, and Kayla had all forgotten about their gifts so Autumn left them in her room. Saving them for the next day. Mr. Morton and Billy-Jack carried the three sleeping girls out to the car while Martha gathered up little Nick's things. It was quick hugs from Martha and promises to see each other again the next day before they pulled out and headed home. Dean went for a shower saying his lap was full of drool. He'd had both Kendra and Kayla's heads in his lap while Sam had held Kelly. The remaining guest drifted out to their cars leftovers tucked under their arms. Mr. Morton left for bed and Athena and Sam went upstairs to set up the sleeping arrangements leaving Autumn wide open for attack.

"Autumn, honey, can we talk?" Mrs. Morton gently placed her hand on Autumn's injured arm.

"Yea, of course, Mom. We can always talk." she gave her foster mother a quick smile, before following her out onto the front porch.

"You see all of this?" the older woman gestured to all the visible farmland. "This all belongs to Billy-Jack after we die. I always hoped you'd run it for him. But," she paused and took Autumn's hands in hers. "I know things have been ruff for you. You've had a hard life without me making it worse and I always thought I was doing what was best for you. I thought if I controlled everything you'd know that we were always here and weren't going anywhere the way your parents did." Autumn pulled away and walked to the opposite end of the porch distancing herself as much as possible.

"I kind of figured that much. Look what I said at dinner I meant it. The Winchesters are amazing men. My job is one of the most important things in my life. If I can work with the Winchesters and use my job, the things they've taught me, to help people why not? I mean, when I was little Mamma was always doing things to help everyone else, and you always encouraged me to do the same." Autumn bowed her head and chewed at her lip for a long moment. "I never meant to upset you guys. I never wanted to leave Billy-Jack, and dash everyone's plans."

"I'm proud of you." Mrs. Morton came up next to Autumn careful not to touch her but still to be next to her. "I never told you that. You took such good care of your sister and when you knew what was right you always did it. But can't you see that your career choice is ruining you?" Fury quickly built in Autumn's eyes as she looked up.

"What do you mean by that?" she carefully punched out every word sure not to mispronounce a single syllable.

"I just mean that… Well look at you. You look like you've not had a proper meal in years, or a goodnights sleep. I've never seen you so diluted. God, Autumn, you've been shot! Don't you think it's time to throw in the towel? Isn't this one battle you can't win?"

"I win battles all the time. It's a war I won't win. But I'm not alone. Athena, Sam, John, Dean, and I aren't the only hunters. There's Will, and his family for 5 generations, there was a vampire hunter, the guy the colt was made for. What about all the hunters Jen dispatched for? She has a dozen or more people at her finger tips. We aren't alone and none of us are stopping any time soon." Autumn stopped before she really lost control. She counted to ten then hopped up to sit on the railing. "You know how priest and nuns say that their priesthood and sisterhood is a calling? That God came to them and told them that that is the right path for them?"

"Yes." there was an undeniable hesitation in Mrs. Morton's voice as she watched her foster-daughter.

"Hunting is like that. Not everyone is cut out to be a man or woman of the church. Not every woman is meant to be a mother. Not every man is meant to pull a plow. We all have certain paths we must follow, this one is mine. Can't you just let me go? What happened to the woman who argued with my social worker in the parking lot of Burger King, because they wanted to separate Teenie and I and send us to different families in completely different cities?"

"She died." Mrs. Morton hung her head this time. "She died when she saw her son hit you. She died when she saw Athena run to you for help. She died when she finally realized that you girls didn't need her and neither did her real family." Autumn laughed.

"Of course Athena came to me! For two years our mother withered away dying in pain. Two years our dad went to work early and came home late to make ends just barely meet. Athena was so small I was the only person who was ever there that was some big scary doctor, or casserole bearing cheek pincher. I hated it but those two years forged us together, we weren't just sisters after that. She's my best friend. You tried to keep us in a controlled environment she only had one person who wouldn't drill her. But Mom your family has and will always need you. Your brother, Tom, he needs you to keep him from getting abducted by men in white jackets. Dad needs you to remind him that life isn't a big joke. Billy-Jack needs you… God knows he needs you the most. Martha needs you to protect her now from your baby boy. Those little grandkids need Grandma to spoil them rotten and buy hundreds of noisy toys to drive their parents mad. Athena and I need you to keep us grounded. If it weren't for you Athena would have run off to Europe or something and be up to her eyeballs in misunderstanding do to the language barrier. I would be sitting in some little upstate New York apartment writing crappy novels about silly little girls and the hired farm hand." Autumn smirked. "We'd be in a fantasy land and never see those people who loved us when no one else would. You gotta give yourself some credit. I hate you. But I still love you." Autumn jumped down and yawned.

"You better get to bed. A good nights rest will help considerably with that bullet wound of yours… Just promise me that you won't be rooming with those boys in my house." Autumn rolled her eyes.

"We're all just friends… Traveling colleagues. Besides their totally not my type. Hunters don't make good family men."

"Teenie, you wanna help me put the antibiotic cream crap on when I get out of the shower?" Autumn asked shuffling through her duffle bag. Athena shook her head.

"No, its all nasty. I'll puke." Sam laughed. He was propped up against the bed sitting on the floor while Athena was hanging upside down from the bed.

"How can that make you puke?" he asked the younger girl. "With everything we see that's nasty to you? You'd have loved our skin shedder."

"I would have! It wasn't my sister's infected hole." Athena agreed. Autumn rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll shower and try and do it in the mirror." She folded her pajamas over her arm and grabbed her mini-bag of toiletries and started for the bathroom.

"Dean's not asleep if you need help." Sam called after her snickering.

"I give them until the end of the holidays." Athena grinned. Sam shrugged.

"Doubt it. Dean don't work slowly." Athena rolled over.

"Damn a blood rush. He might not work slow but, cool the room is spinning, Autumn does." Sam stretched out on the floor to stare at the ceiling.

"You should probably lay flat a minute until the room stops moving." he advised.

"You know for a big bad hunter boy you play things way to safe." Athena sat up and started bouncing on the bed, wobbling dangerously.

"Better safe than sorry." Sam told her.

"Yes, better to live your life trapped in the highest room of the tallest tower than to run with wolves." Athena laughed sarcastically.

"I wouldn't go that far." Athena fell off the bed right on top of Sam.

"Sure you wouldn't Mr. Safety." she sprang to her feet and went to stand at the door. "So, I'm going to poke the bear do you want a stick?"

"What?" she took three steps directly in from the door then two to the right before sitting down pulling a small pocketknife from the pocket of her pajama bottoms. "You sleep with a two inch blade?" he teased.

"Yes, now would you like a stick?" she ran the knife's blade down all four sides of the wooden floor board before popping it out of place. "She doesn't know I know this is here."

Carefully Athena excavated a small cedar box. She slid away the lid to reveal a large mass of pictures, ticket stubs, and tiny odds and ends. But this didn't hold Athena's attention for long she reached back into the hole left by the floor board and pulled out lap quilt as she unwrapped it a folder fell out. Sam watched her open the folder and grin.

"Autty is going to die."

"What is it?" he asked her. She handed it over to him.

"She hid things down in here growing up. But that, she would never have put under here. It's letters from our biological mom. She always had hers on the vanity, I kept mine between my mattress and the bedspring."

"What about the rest of that stuff?" he didn't read the letters, they were personal, none of his business. Athena fingered the quilt as if it were the most delicate thing in the universe.

"This was a baby blanket Real mom made for Autumn then I used when I was born, the box though is just things that were important to Autumn. When she left for college I used to sneak in here when no one was around and go through it. It wasn't as good as having her home but it meant she would be home someday." Athena put the box in her lap and started rummaging through it. At the very bottom was 20 page photo album, not much bigger than a picture itself. "Look at this." she commanded forking over the book.

Sam opened it and wasn't shocked to see a blue eyed red head sitting on a porch swing with a much younger version of Autumn and Athena at her sides. All three of them looked so happy to be there. There was none of the harden looks in the girls eyes as there was now. Just pure unbridled joy. He flipped to the next page. Autumn was holding her sister tightly on a white horse, her head thrown back in a fit of laughter while the younger girl clung to her arms. The next page was a young couple, the woman from the first page in a long white wedding gown and standing his arm around her waist was her groom. Despite his dark eyes he had almost white blonde hair, and a bright smile, as if he'd finally found the meaning of life. Sam looked up at Athena who grinned.

"That's my folks on their wedding day." she pointed the picture above of the two girls on a horse. "Her name was Snow Prancer, Dad bought her for Mom on Valentine's Day the year they got married. I think they treated that horse more like a member of the family than me. They always said she was their first daughter." Athena flipped to the next page. It was Autumn, she had to of been at least ten, she had a hot pink swimsuit on under cut off overalls, resting on her hip was a rifle nearly as long as she was tall. "She named the gun Annie, said it didn't matter who shot it they'd never miss. For hours she'd stand in the back yard shooting cans. That one there," she pointed to a picture of herself hair twisted in thirty or forty little pig tails all over her head and a make-up job that made her look like she belonged in the circus, "I wanted to be an actress when I was eleven or so, and Autumn said she'd follow me to Hollywood and do my hair and make-up. Dad got rid of all the make-up after that. I went to school that way." The next picture was one he hadn't expected. It was his father arms out stretched to catch him as he hovered in the air just out of reach. "Mom took bunches of pictures when you guys were here but only when your dad wasn't looking, most of them didn't survive. They got put out in the barn in this big plastic tote and the mice chewed through it. Destroyed nearly the whole box." The picture below him and his father was all four of them asleep, heads poking out of a tent made of blankets. Stuffed animals stood guard in a half circle around them G.I. Joe sat in a Barbie jeep his gun resting on his lap in the middle of it all.

"I don't remember this."

"We were asleep, you wouldn't remember it." She giggled reaching forward and turning the page again.

"No, I mean sleeping like this, what happen was it nap time or something?" Athena shook her head.

"Nope, you begged and cried until John let you stay. He finally gave in, since he was staying the night in the woods anyway." The pictures that were staring up at him now were snap shots out a kitchen window of the four of them and his dad shooting on a makeshift archery range. A large round bale of hay stood nearly a dozen yards away from them. Dean was behind Athena showing her how to shoot in one and in the next he was right behind Sam. The pictures that followed were more scattered in time. Athena in a ballerina outfit. Martha and Autumn being thrown into a pond. Billy-Jack with his arms wrapped around Autumn just before leaving for prom. Shots of pets they had owned through the years. The last one was two headstones a golden cross on a matching chain hung over the corner of one while a toy bow hung over the other, fresh mounds of dirt piled in front of them. "That's Mom and Dad." Athena stated the obvious. "Right after Autumn took that we were ushered into the social worker's car. Autty really hadn't let me see her cry until then. Kept telling me everything was fine because she'd never leave me."

When Autumn came in she shooed Sam away. She didn't pay any attention to the floor board that slid away she just tucked her things back into their respective bags and climbed into bed. Athena shut out the light and joined her. The younger sister waited until the older one was nearly asleep before rolling over on her side to ask a question that had been bothering her since she'd been pinned against the wall and pulled in every which way.

"Do you think Will still thinks about me the way I think about him?" Autumn moaned and rolled over to look her sister in the eye.

"I think he was a fool to run away and regrets it everyday he spends wandering this miserable earth." she rubbed her eyes and settled deeper into the pillow.

"Think he's okay?" Autumn nodded.

"I know he is. I didn't spend that much money for Sage to fix him up and him not be okay."

"Is he happy?" Athena asked. Autumn reached up and took her sister's face in her hands.

"I don't know, Teenie. All I know is if anything happened to him Jen would have called me and if you don't shut up and let me go to sleep you'll be able to haunt him." Athena put her hands over her sister's.

"You are pure evil you know it?" Autumn gave her a laugh worthy of the baddest bad guy to ever grace Saturday morning cartoons before she wrapped an arm around her sister forcing Athena to lay down.

"Go to sleep Squirt."

"She doesn't usually sleep this sound does she?" Dean asked leaning against the door frame. "No, this is a rare event that most be taken advantage of." Athena shook her head.

"What do you have in mind?" the older Winchester smirked.

"I don't know yet give me a second." Athena perched herself on the corner of the hope chest at the foot of the bed. She looked around the room as if the greatest inspiration ever would somehow grace the walls. Her eyes landed on Sam and she smirked to match Dean's. "Sammy, darling, could I get you to get in bed with my sister?"

"Excuse me?" he asked and his brother nodded as if to confirm the thought.

"Do it Sammy."

"Then give her a squeeze and say something a long the lines of last night was fun." Athena encouraged.

"Why can't Dean?" he whined.

"You are really a pain in the ass you know it, Samster?" Athena rolled her eyes. With a sigh Sam climbed into the bed and pulled Autumn to him.

"Mornin' beautiful." he whispered in her ear. Autumn's green eyes shot open.

"Oh God." Sam glanced in the direction of his puppet masters before taking the joke the next step.

"Is that your favorite phrase? You said it an awful lot last night." Autumn covered her face with her hands.

"Sam, I'm not going to look and count to a hundred get your stuff and get out. Then we'll just pretend like this never happened." the older girl gave a shudder. "I need to boil myself." Athena had been holding in a fit of giggles since Autumn had woke up but now it burst free. Autumn sat up a pitched a pillow at her sister's head.

"You little skank!" Athena dodged the pillow and it hit Dean who threw it back.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your baby sister." he teased.

"I hate you all!" Autumn folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

"Well we still love you." Athena grinned.

"You are a big meany head, Sissy." Autumn stuck her lower lip out further.

"Aww, that's so sweet." Athena jumped up in her bed and weaseled herself in between Sam and her sister. "Can I sleep with you tonight Mommy and Daddy?"

John didn't take no for an answer climbing into the back seat of the mustang with Dean and Athena, two hours later. They had had breakfast and Autumn refused to leave until everything had been washed and put in the exact place it had been when they started. Not that anyone really could blame her. Why anger the gods when you didn't have to? Mrs. Morton had gone out with Martha to hit all the stores for the big After Thanksgiving Sales, and Mr. Morton was watching the kids. The farm hands that usually came out to help were at home watching their own kids, and Billy-Jack had gone off to inspect the pear trees in the back quarter of the property. So they were left alone except for the animals.

"They're the second drive right?" Autumn asked trying to twist around to see her sister. But only managed half a twist before she winced and corrected herself.

"Yea. You know if that hurts you so bad you should go get it checked out again. It's been what… four days since it happened?" Athena pressed.

"Yes, four days. It's only been four days. I'll give it a bit longer before I call more money hungry doctors in." Autumn pulled in to the next drive and parked haphazardly in the drive. There was the typical white farm house sitting off just to the side of the house with newer looking barns out back. "The house was a school house back when the town was founded. There used to be a church across the street but it was closed down, then some kids started maiming animals in there when I was in middle school so the fire department burned it down." She climbed out of the car and let Dean out behind her.

"Where are they you think?" Athena asked rounding the front of the car. About that time a baby goat came running and screaming toward them. She reached down and plucked it up tucking it close to herself. "Hey little one. What are you doing lose?"

"I swear Josh! That kid of yours is a demented! He barely has teeth yet and ate the box of rifle bullets. I'm going to kill the monster!" a tall raven haired man yelled back as he came out of the nearest barn. "Well I'll be damned!"

"Probably." Autumn smirked.

"The river rat is here." the man yelled back the way he'd come.

"Oh shut up and hug me Kitty." Autumn held out her arms and the man embraced her carefully.

"Martha, called this morning said you'd gone and tried to get your self blown to bits?" Autumn shrugged.

"You know me. I just can't stand a normal day." the man laughed.

"How about you, Thena?" Athena shrugged pulling her finger out of the goat's mouth.

"Just trying to keep her out of trouble." Another man came out of the barn and joined their group. There was hugs and joking before Kit and Josh noticed Dean and Sam standing there.

"Well, this must be John's boys." Josh said holding his hand out to them. "I'm Josh and this is my husband Kit. We've heard so much about you."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Kit agreed shaking their hands too. "Here, Teenie I'll go put the little heathen away, Josh take them inside." Kit took the goat and headed back in the barn threatening it's life if it decided to escape again, while Josh led them into his house.

"So, girls, what epic battles have you been in lately?" rolling her eyes Athena shrugged.

"Their far from epic, Joshy." Autumn reminded him. Josh just shook his head.

"You've got no idea! You four get to go off and live these storybook lives while the rest of us average Joes just sit here and do the same thing day in and day out. You're lives are epic to us."

"Really, it's nothing." Autumn urged. She didn't want to retell any of her stories of near failure.

"Fine, be a spoil sport. Do you want anything?" he asked nodding towards the kitchen.

"Naw, we're good. Sorry to hear about Hefferina by the way." Josh hung his head.

"Yes, she was a good cow. It was hard to see her go. I would just like to know what killed her."

"Martha said there have been a lot of cattle deaths in the area. What are the vets saying?"

"They're saying we're making a mountain out of a mole hill." Kit said coming in. "Just the same thing they always say. The few vets who give a damn don't have the funds to find out what's really going on and the others have the dough but not a lick of sense. How is it that people would rather take their pet to someone whose just in it for the money than someone who cares? Would you take yourself to a doctor who was going to run a bunch of pointless tests for the sake of running them or one who ran only what he felt was truly needed for you to receive the best possible care?"

"You know as well as I do Kit, that things don't work the way they should." Athena said soothingly. "But we aren't here to talk about the politics behind the vets of Pinecrest."

"No, you didn't. You came to catch up with us and all we have to say is the town's been fed to the wolves." Kit apologized. "So my dear river rat you think any more about retiring?"

"Yep."

"What?" Dean interposed Autumn. "You just got started you can't retire now."

"Not hunting, dork. I'm in that for the long haul. My agent is tying up the lose ends of a deal to sell the series for a cartoon, and we've really stretched the plot. It's time to shut it down and let the contracts deal with everything."

"So what were you thinking?" Josh pushed.

"I was thinking about signing off on a few offers that have been made, it'll allow me to continue writing the series but also open it to other authors, all of which will have to be approved through me. Athena still gets to do the illustrating and everybody's happy. It's also the same money for half the work."

"Sounds like a plan. Can I get in on that?" Kit joked.

"You're in the will."

"So, how'd you guys all hood up?" Josh asked.

"Dean was hitting on me in this little bar, up north a bit." Athena over simplified.

"So why'd you stick together?" Kit asked. Both girls shrugged. They really didn't know. If John knew they were with his boys he'd have their heads. It really hadn't occurred to them that there was a reason beyond it just happened.

"We work well together." Sam offered.

"Hey hey! They do speak. I was starting to think they just sat there and looked pretty." Kit teased.

**A/N: Okay this is a little over 7 pages. I'm going to cut the chapter here. But stick with us. Dean and Billy-Jack get into it again, and the boys get to meet Father Bill soon too. After that boring stuff is out of the way we FINALLY get to see the big bad guy for this story. R&R Plz. Thanks Angel-Who-Never-Felt and Posinchick88 for ur reviews. Ur both very appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, this chapter is a wee bit shorter than the rest but I just loved the fluffy spot at the end. So go forth my pets and read... Mwahahahaha read... Anyway, R&R.**

**Chapter 5**

"Girls, while you were gone a man called for you." Mr. Morton was hiding behind yesterday's paper on the couch in the den.

"What man?" Athena asked trying to push John back out. Mrs. Morton didn't like the dog in the house.

"I don't know he wouldn't say. I took a message down word for word. It's by the phone." Autumn grabbed the tablet of paper with the message scribbled on it and headed toward the kitchen, quickly followed by her sister and the Winchesters.

"Girls, I didn't want to call your cell, you never get reception there. The semi tried to fight us. Damn it. Everyone made it out fine. Dean was in rough shape for a bit there but you know my boys. They don't stay down. He chuckled I wondered if we had eggs. If things are slow call Jen she said she had a few cases laying around. I might have something for you in a few weeks. Don't call me, I'll call you. DJW" she read.

"DJW?" Sam asked sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Daddy John Winchester." Athena said as if this was a well known fact.

"You called him and he called you back?" Dean rummaged through the fridge looking for the leftover turkey.

"He usually does. It might take him a while but he calls." Autumn ripped of the page and took the tablet back to the phone.

"That isn't right. I was dying and he didn't even return our call but you guys call and say what?"

"Happy Thanksgiving and asked how things were going." Athena didn't miss a beat.

"Happy Thanksgiving and he calls back the next day?" Autumn shrugged.

"Dean, he loses less if we get caught than if you do. He's just… I don't know, being John. What are you doing in there?" Dean pulled away from the refrigerator and glared at Autumn.

"Looking for the turkey, but there seems to be a color coding system or something." Autumn rolled her eyes and bumped Dean out of the way. It took her two seconds to locate the turkey.

"Hello Hello Hello." A short round man dressed in solid black except a his white collar pushed through the door way his arms held open. Both the Daemon girls ran to him embracing him. "That's my girls." he gave them a squeeze before releasing them.

"Father Bill, what are you doing here?" the man smiled at Athena.

"Betty Sue and I were talking last week and she said you'd be here. I just wanted to check on my little demons."

"You know that wasn't cute when we were little and it really isn't cute now." Autumn said wagging a finger at the man. "Sit down we were just getting ready to make lunch. You're favorite too, turkey sandwiches."

"I don't mind if I do." He took in the room his eyes landing on Sam and Dean who were once again standing amidst a reunion and clueless about what to do. "These are John's boys." he wasn't asking he was stating this. "I'd know them anywhere. I'm really, truly, appreciative of what you two and your father do for us. I'm sorry it came at the cost of your friend Pastor Jim. He was a good man, and is surely keeping God company."

"You know Jim?" Sam asked leaning over the table.

"Yes. I can't say I knew him well but I did know him. When the girls started seriously working at this, what do you call it Autty?"

"Hunting, mayo?"

"Yes, please. Hunting, your father put me in contact with Jimmy told me he'd be able to teach me everything I would ever need to know to help the girls. I wanted to make it out for his funeral but had a family in crisis here. It's a real shame God saw this as the right time to take such a man from us. But, he knows what is best, I presume." Autumn sat sandwiches in front of Sam and Father Bill.

"Dean sit, I'll get yours too." she instructed.

"Autumn, my girl you've not changed a bit since you were a kid have you?" Father marveled.

"I've changed enough to survive." she threw the older man a smile and Dean sat down next to his brother.

"That girl never did stop. Her mother used to believe that the world could be saved from itself with one mega bake sale. Autumn is so like her. Why not a week after her mother died she was back at the church volunteering. You wanted to be a nun in those days didn't you, child?" Autumn nodded.

"Yea, I was going to be a nun. I don't know why though, seems silly now."

"You would have been a good one. You boys probably can't tell it now looking at her but she used to live in my church. If I didn't see her everyday I had something to worry about. Athena on the other hand wasn't so comfortable there were you dear?" Athena had been leaning against the wall watching the scene unfold.

"The pews were stiff, the windows were high, and I already felt like an ant. Not too many ways to be comfortable like that."

"Even ants have a role to play, Teenie, you know that." Father took a bite out of his sandwich being the first to start eating. Autumn put down a plate for herself, Athena, and Dean then fished a bag of potato chips out of the cabinet. "You should be getting on the road soon. I was watching the news this morning, we are supposed to drop below freezing tonight and have light showers that will turn to snow. It's not going to warm back up much, maybe touching 40 degrees. I wouldn't want to bury you two too." his eyes smiled as his gaze fell back on Dean and Sam. "Your father was always insanely proud of you. He used to pick the girls up at the church before they'd go out with him for training or hunting and he'd tell me about your latest feats, boys. How's he doing? I spoke with Jennifer Raining a few weeks ago she said you were in a bad way not long ago. John's Demon came after you, and wrecked you and your car."

"Last time we talked to Dad he was fine. Ask the Autumn she seems to know better than we do." Dean didn't do to well hiding his contempt on the matter.

"Autumn?" Father turned toward her. "What's this?"

"I called John yesterday, like I do every holiday and wished him the best and he called back. Apparently, he don't return their calls."

"Ooooh I see. Well, I'm sure he wants to call you too, son." he took another bite of his sandwich and watched the four for a long time. "I always wondered when I'd get to see this."

"See what?" Athena asked.

"You two bring home Betty's worst nightmare. I was starting to think I'd be long gone before you did." he laughed. "She must have had a cow when you told her what they are."

"No, she was a little preoccupied." Athena grinned.

"Is Jen from Dad's message and Jennifer Raining the same person?" Sam asked.

"Yea, don't you know Jen Raining?" Autumn stopped.

"No, should we?" Dean asked exchanging looks with Sam.

"Well, I thought you'd know her." Autumn said her brow furrowing. "She and her brother Will are the fifth generation hunters. She was paralyzed from the waist down in a hunt a few years back. Since then she's opened a mini training camp out of a lodge up in Montana. She keeps an eye on supernatural events all over the country and has contacts in Canada and Mexico too. You seriously have never heard of her?"

"No." Sam shook his head.

"Well, I'll be damned." Autumn scooted down in her chair.

"Probably." Athena agreed.

"ATHENA, you should never say that!" Father's cheeks puffed out and his chest swelled. "Autumn, honey, you're doing God's work protecting his sheep from the wolves. He'll forgive you all your sins if you just ask." Autumn snorted.

"That's not what I meant, Father. But, anyway the Rainings have a lot of information and experience. That family is bred for hunting. From the time you can walk you're shooting even before that they're teaching you about the creatures of the dark. They take hunting very seriously."

Father Bill finished his sandwich and hugged the girls again before dismissing himself. Kendra, Kelly, and Kayla, who had been napping, woke up soon afterwards and demanded that Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean play hide and seek with them. So the two Winchester boys found themselves drug outside to the barn yard trying to convince three little blonds they needed their coats zipped. Athena helped Autumn start their laundry and clean the kitchen back up. Then the pair started on dinner. Martha and Betty Sue came in just in time to be ushered into seats at the dinner table.

"This all smells wonderful." Mrs. Morton said looking over the meal the girls had prepared.

"Good to hear. Your granddaughters made desert too." Autumn smiled leaning over Kendra to cut her chunk of the pork roast.

"Yea Grandma! We made chocolate chip cookies! But Aunty Autty said we can't eat any of them unless we eat our dinner." Kelly pouted.

"But she wasn't as good as Mommy." Kayla grinned.

"Yepperz! Aunty Autty walked away and Uncle Sammy gave us all a cookie but said we had to keep it quiet." Kendra whispered.

"That's not what I meant by keeping it quiet, Ken." Sam said.

"Oh, What's you mean?" Kelly asked.

"Not to tell."

"Why?" all three girls asked.

"Because now Aunty Autty is going to rip my arm off and beat me over the head with it."

"Why?" they asked again.

"Because she said you weren't allowed to have cookies until you ate."

"Why?"

"Because you'll spoil your dinner."

"Why?"

"Help me."

"Why?" the little girls giggled.

"Does spoil our dinner mean if we eat cookies the food will rot?" Kayla asked.

"No, now that's enough questions eat." Martha scolded her daughters. "You're going to drive Uncle Sam crazy."

"Uncle Dean said he was already crazy." Kelly informed the table.

"Well, that's because Uncle Dean is a butthead." Kendra told her sister. Billy-Jack, who had been called over when his wife decided to stay for dinner, laughed.

"Girls, if you don't sit up here and eat we'll throw all the cookies away." Martha said with a frown. The girls straightened up immediately.

"That's the happy face." Kayla whispered to Dean.

"It don't look very happy." Kayla smiled.

"It has to be because that's the face she uses the most."

"Maybe that because you don't eat." Kayla rolled her eyes at him.

"Uncle Dean, you are silly. We don't have to eat Papaw will give us junk later." she commenced to shuffle the food around on her plate.

Autumn and Athena had made a large pork roast, with homemade noodles and corn. The cookies had even been made from scratch. Mrs. Morton didn't have a single complaint about the food. Though beyond her 'it smells good' comment she didn't have anything good to say about it either. Mr. Morton wasn't shy about unbuttoning his pants and eating a fourth helping.

"I forgot you could cook." Billy-Jack said going to help Autumn clear the table.

"It is one of the many services I offer." Autumn smirked handing him a stack of plates.

"Daddy, can Nick have the piggy?" Kendra asked holding a chunk of pre-chewed meat up to her father.

"No, Kelly. Nick can't have big people food yet."

"I'm not Kelly." the little girl argued.

"I'm sorry Kayla. Go sit down in the living room. Grandma's putting in Little Mermaid."

"I'm not Kayla." the little girl threw the meat at her father before running off.

"You handled that well." Autumn said butting open the door to the kitchen balancing the pot from the corn and bowl from the noodles in her good hand.

"Do you have to be such a smart mouth?"

"No, it just seems you would know each of your daughters individually. You had to guess twice."

"So?"

"You have three daughters! And you guessed WRONG twice!"

"Okay, so I'm not the best father in the world…"

"No, really?" Autumn asked her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Shut the hell up. I got Martha pregnant on accident and then had to marry her just because she was."

"Martha's a good person. If you can't tell that then you're just retarded… And I will be quiet when I choose to. You don't tell a woman to shut the hell up. I'll sick Dean on you."

"Like I'm afraid of your little lap dog." he slammed the dishes in the sink nearly breaking them.

"I didn't say you were afraid of him." she commented coyly.

"Well, I'm not."

"Good. I wouldn't be afraid of a guy who could beat me to far with both hands tied behind his back." Billy-Jack locked his eyes on hers and she back down. She wasn't afraid of Dean, no matter how far she pushed him he wasn't going to reel back and beat the shit out of her. Billy-Jack didn't have that restraint.

"You're really getting above your raisin' out there."

"I'd rather get about my raising than below it." she wasted no time in going back into the room with people. Safety was only truly found at the side of someone who would die for you, even then it wasn't a guarantee, but three little girls were far better protection from an angry Billy-Jack than kitchen.

"You really like to push buttons." Billy-Jack said following her. He grabbed another arm load of dishes while Autumn swept the mess of corn, from his daughters, into her hand.

"I got that from you. Just couldn't leave a button un-pushed." she said dismissively.

"Autty." Martha said taking her warning tone.

"I only ever pushed your buttons." he leered.

"I'm foolish not blind. I've seen Martha's bruises."

"She fell." Autumn shook her head and followed him into the kitchen.

"She fell on your fists right? No.. Let's see they're on her arms, so what were you forcing her to do? Or was it she didn't move fast enough so you grabbed her by the arm and flung her in the direction to make you happy?"

"Autumn, I'm trying." she saw the beginning of an apology in his eyes but ignored it.

"Too little too late."

"I… don't… know…" Dean said behind clenched teeth.

"Why?" Kendra asked yet again. Dean sighed.

"God didn't create the boogeyman." Sam finally answered. Kelly was sitting in Sam's lap watching the television.

"Nuh uh, God created everything. Father Bill says so." Kendra argued.

"Well he didn't create the boogeyman." Dean said trying to keep himself from strangling the young girl.

"Who did then?" she folded her arms.

"His Booger mother, and Booger father did."

"Do they have names?"

"I'm sure they do, but,"

"What are they?" Kendra cut him off.

"The mothers name is Kendra, and the fathers name is…" Dean looked around the room. "Sam." This caught Sam's attention immediately.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Yep. That's right. Kendra and Sam. They're the ones responsible for creating the Boogeyman." Sam rolled his eyes.

"How do you know what they're names are?" The little girl asked.

"Because I do."

"How'd you find out, Uncle Dean?" The little girl's eyes pleaded and her hands went into her lap. She was staring at Dean from the floor sitting pretzel legged. Dean, who was sitting on the couch trying to relax next to Kayla who was sitting next to Sam trying his best to relax, but Kendra's nonstop question asking wouldn't allow it.

"I know because I know. There's no reason. I just do…"

"Fine." Kendra got up off the floor and climbed into Dean's lap and laid her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Uncle Dean." She tried her best to sound innocent.

"Yeah I know." Dean looked down at the little girl who was watching the man on the television trying to figure out what Blue's next clue was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Autumn bounced down the stairs. Athena was asleep the three little girls curled around her with their dollies, Sam was outside with Shadow, the black lab, playing fetch, Dean was sitting in the living room on Sam's computer. So Autumn resolved to scrub out the pots and pans she'd left out to soak the night before. She could hear Martha talking to Sam, no doubt asking a hundred questions a minute. How the woman could get on to her daughters for doing that when she did it too was beyond Autumn. Little Nick would be on his mother's hip chubby fingers tangled in her hair and drool dripping down his chin soaking his bib, he got that from his father. Billy-Jack had done nothing but drool until he was five.

Autumn quickly lost herself in a day dreams, a mixture of memories and fantasies, that she'd willingly played host too most of her life danced through her mind. The back door slammed shut and Billy-Jack came in a Bud already in his had at ten in the morning. He tipped his hat at her before going to the fridge to replace his soon to be empty beer. The little hairs on the back or her neck stood up. Mr. and Mrs. Morton were locked in their bedroom wrapping Christmas gifts, that would start showing up under the tree next week. She was alone and he was drinking. This wasn't going to be good.

"So it's those Winchesters again? When are you going to give it up?" Billy-Jack sat down his Bud Light.

"Go back to the barns, Billy-Jack." Autumn tried to ignore her ex.

"No, why don't you remind me why these worthless, scumbags mean so much to you."

"Maybe, because, unlike you, they are honorable, respectable men, doing something with real worth." She rinsed her pan before placing it on the rack to dry.

"Right. I googled them. Dean's dead and charged with murder. Did you know that?"

"Things happen, you wouldn't understand."

"Why is that? You think I'm some stupid redneck?"

"Yeah, but that's not why you won't understand." she smirked slightly. "Go see to your chores."

"You think you're funny? You walked off and left us high and dry. No explanation. Just POOF gone!" she could hear the anger in his voice but didn't let him under her skin. She finished up the dishes and went to wipe down the counters. "Nothing to say for yourself? You aren't going to deny you screwed us over? My family gave you everything you have. Yours was shit! Your mama was faulty work, and that old man of yours… Don't get me started on him!" he was really starting to push Autumn's buttons but still she shut him out. If she could manage to finish the tasks she'd set out that morning to perform she wouldn't have failed so horribly at being a good daughter. She might not have left the way he said she had, if only she could do the same chores she had grown up doing. "Come on Autty, give me something to run with here! Think you're so much better than us now? Is that it? You've got a savings account with three or four zeros, and a pimped out ride. You're a big shot writer now, right? What about what you were before! Think you can just walk away from us? From me?"

"You've got a wife and kids, Billy-Jack." she reminded. She didn't bother to mention the fact that he'd left her. That he'd been the final factor in stay verse leave. She just tried to stick to the most obvious points. He'd never understand the emotions behind everything else.

"Right, screw a drunk girl end up tied to her for the rest of your damn life." he stepped forward cornering her between the sink and the stove, and up against the counter. "You know you're the only girl for me." his breath reeked, and it wasn't just that watered down piss water that passed for beer, in his book, either. "Come on. Martha will never know. Why don't we just go have a little fun? Or will that toy you're dragging around, like some sort of prize pig, have a cow?" Autumn shoved him away, and was thankful for once in her life that he never expected girls to have any strength at all. Freed from the corner she started out of the room looking for the safety of numbers. She smiled in Dean's direction when he looked up from Sam's laptop where he was searching for their next hunt. "Walk away! That's right! You're still a stupid whore and you always will be." He yelled after her. Dean stood up and started towards her and she frantically recalled the tears that were ready to spill. "Just keep going dumb bitch. Walk away. Leave!" Dean didn't stop at her though he made sure to let his arm brush hers. He made it into the kitchen and Billy-Jack's next string was cut off when he was slammed against the wall.

"You have anything else to say?" nothing about the way he spoke or stood gave away the depth of Dean's anger.

"You think she's all pristine don't you? Think she's some little daddy's girl, a mamma's little angel. The kind of girl that won't ever let you past second without a ring and vows. She's one of the most messed up girls I've ever" Dean punched him one.

"The correct answer was 'No, Dean. I don't have anything else to say.' You don't deserve to know her. Being in the same room as her should be the greatest honor of your pathetic life."

"She's got you whipped. Wrapped around her little finger." Autumn stood in awe at the sight of her ex pinned to the wall by Dean. She wasn't sure what this said about him, or whatever it was that was starting between them. But again his fists met Billy-Jack's face.

"I'm not wrapped around her finger, I just don't like little boys who disrespect a woman." Dean growled.

"She's the disrespectful one. Walks around like a normal human being." Dean pulled him out then slammed him against the wall again.

"You just don't know when to shut up do you?" But before Billy-Jack could prove Dean right Betty Sue Morton came in.

"What the hell are you doing to my boy?" she asked pushing past Autumn and pulling at Dean to let go of her baby.

"Nothing, ma'am. Just teaching him a little lesson." Dean released Billy-Jack who didn't manage to catch himself and landed on his butt beer bottle falling from his hand and rolling across the floor. Rage to match the fury of a hurricane built in the older woman's eyes.

"That's it! I've tried. Autumn I swear to you, if I've done anything these past few days I've tried. I've tried to keep my mouth shut about how you're ruining your life. Going to hell in a hand basket and taking your sister with you! I've tried to ignore the way this cretin has treated MY son. But this is the last straw! Get that filthy drooling dog out of my yard! Get these spawns of the devil out of my house! Get the hell out and don't come back!" Autumn's jaw dropped. She'd never expected to hear these words. Her shock lasted a moment too long. "OUT! GET OUT!" Martha and Sam came in, Nick crying from the sudden panic in his mother. Athena and the girls tumbled down the stairs and Mr. Morton hobbled in.

"Betty what's going on?" He asked.

"I'm done! I've had it up to here!" her hand sliced through the air above her head. "All they do is cause problems and I'm not doing it any more. God, I'm sorry. But these girls can't be helped. You can't save them! Jack get them out of my house now." she ordered her husband. Mr. Morton took his wife by the shoulders and started leading her off.

"Girls you need to leave now." he told them sympathetically.

"But why do you have to leave?" Kendra asked swinging her legs.

"Because Grandma wants us out." Autumn explained. They'd finally looped back around in the questioning. All three girls had perched on the edge of the bed clutching their dolls.

"But why?" Kelly asked.

"Girls go say good bye to Uncle Sam and Uncle Dean." Martha instructed the girls. All three of them jumped down and ran to the rooms where the Winchesters were. "You want to stay over at my place tonight?" she asked once the girls were safely out of hearing range.

"No, we'll hit the highway in fifteen minutes there are motels right off every exit. We'll be fine." Athena told her.

"I know, I just worry about you girls. Out there all alone." she giggled "You're not alone though are you? You've got those strapping young men to protect you, right?"

"You are a demented freak you know it?" Autumn asked.

"I might be a demented freak but you're butthead." Martha teased, finally succeeding in making Autumn smile.

"You've spent too much time in play land, Martha." Both Autumn and Athena hugged their friend before grabbing up the last of their bags and taking them out to the mustang. Dean and Sam were at the top of the stairs saying their good-byes to the triplets. Autumn looked back over the bedrooms to make sure they hadn't left anything. She'd even emptied out her floorboard.

"Call me when you get settled for the night." Martha told them reaching around her girls to hug Sam.

"We will."

"If you need anything just holler." she hugged Dean.

"We will." she stopped and looked the four over.

"Autumn, if that little wound of yours doesn't start looking up in a week get to the hospital and have it checked out."

"I will." Martha nodded.

"No bad reports okay? If I get a call from Mommy saying you girls were bad I'll tell Santa not to come to your house." Athena told the girls squatting down to their height.

"You have to leave?" Kelly whined.

"Yes, Kell. Tell you what," Sam joined Athena at the girls' level. "When you get a little older we'll come back and take you girls for a road trip okay? But you have to take care of Mommy and Baby Nick. You promise you'll do that?" all three girls nodded.

"We promise." Kayla told him. "Is Daddy mad? He scares me when he's mad." Autumn was fighting back tears. She hated leaving Martha and the kids when Billy-Jack was upset. She knew she couldn't protect them but she still wanted to be around.

"Mommy has my phone number okay, if Daddy scares you I want you to call and I'll come back and set Daddy straight." Dean promised the girls. Kayla threw her arms around his legs.

"You're not a butthead." she whispered. Dean smiled and pulled her away from him wiping away her tears.

"Yes I am. All boys are buttheads. So you stay away from them for a very long time okay?" Kayla giggled.

"Okay."

"Come on. We need to hit the road guys." Autumn said hugging everyone one last time.

Dean led the way out to the cars. John was already waiting in the driver's seat. They pulled out of the driveway and were out of sight of the little farm in no time. Athena reclined her seat and stared at the interior light while her sister turned up the radio. Sam was driving so Dean shuffled through his cassettes before finding one he found suitable. Just as Autumn had said it took them fifteen minutes to hit the highway. None of them had settling in for the night in mind. Distance was what they wanted. A great deal of distance between them and the Mortons.

Sam suddenly veered off the road making Dean jerk awake. The younger Winchester only managed to get the car in park before grabbing his head. Dean knew that look, the pain and terror in his brother's eyes were telltale signs of a vision. He looked at his watch as much to time the length as anything else, they'd been driving a little over three hours and were getting dangerously close to nightfall for a vision. Sam was beyond his help right now. The familiar red mustang pulled off behind them and he could see the two girls arguing in the rearview mirror. When the vision finally released, Sam he looked at Dean and let out a long colorful string of curses.

"We've got to go back."

"What? Why?" Dean couldn't put everything together fast enough.

"He's coming. He wants Nick. He's going to get them if we don't go back."

"Slow down Sammy. Whose going after Nick?"

"HE's going after Nick. The demon."

"Damn it!" he jerked open the car door and went back to the Daemons. "We're going back."

"We can't." Autumn told him.

"I didn't ask Autumn. We're going back. The demon is going to be there. When does Nick turn 6 months old?" Athena and Autumn looked at each other trying to calculate the date exactly.

"Tonight." Athena said looking back up at Dean.

"Shit!"

"Get your ass back in that car. I'll see you back there." Autumn didn't stay put long even long enough for Dean to step out of the way. She slammed the car into reverse then pulled back into the traffic. Dean ran back to his car.

"Let me drive." Sam slid over to the passenger seat without hesitation. Dean climbed back into his Impala and joined Autumn in the mad race back to her home.

**A/N: Insert evil laugh here. So here's your big cliff hanger. I'll have the next chapter up asap but I don't know when that'll be. The next bit has to be just right. But yea anyway I'll leave you to your wait now. R&R**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here we go this should be the last chapter. So buckle up.**

**Chapter Seven**

"Why does Grandma hate Uncle Dean?" Kayla asked as her mother tucked her in.

"Grandma doesn't hate him. Daddy can just be difficult to deal with, and Uncle Dean was raised differently. So when Daddy gets difficult and Uncle Dean sees it as mean Uncle Dean tries to correct Daddy."

"Does Grandma hate Aunty Autty?" Kendra asked. Martha kissed Kayla's forehead before moving to the next bed.

"No sweet heart. Grandma doesn't hate anyone."

"But she told Autty to never come back." Martha smoothed her daughters hair out and tucked the blanket tight around her.

"Grandma was just upset. You'll see, Autumn will be here again before you know it."

"But what if she stays away forever and ever?" Martha smiled and kissed her daughter.

"I have known Aunt Autumn and Aunt Athena since we were little girls, just about your age. In all that time no one could ever keep them away from something they loved. Do you remember Uncle Josh telling you about them and Snow Prancer? How the horse had to be sold and your aunts ran away to find her? They love you guys more than that horse. They'll be back." Martha was trying hard not to flat out lie to her girls. She really didn't know if the Daemons would ever be back.

"Are you sad Mommy?" Kelly asked as her mother came to her.

"A little sad. But I'll be okay."

"I'm big sad." Martha pulled her daughter into her lap.

"Girls, Autumn and Athena have a very important job."

"We know Mommy. They kill monsters so they can't hurt little kids." Kendra agreed.

"Right. So it might seem like a very long time before they can come back and see you but they'll come back. I promise they'll call on your birthdays just like they always do and whenever you get heartsick for them you can call them. But right now," she gave little Kelly a squeeze. "I need you to be big girls and go to sleep. Things will be alright." Kelly climbed out of her mother's arm and wiggled under her blankets.

"Is Daddy mad?" she asked.

"Daddy scares me when he gets mad." Kayla piped up.

"Me too. He starts yelling then he hurts things. Like what he did to Spots." Kendra reminded her sisters of their Dalmatian puppy that their father had killed when they hadn't done as they were told.

"Daddy is a little mad but Mommy won't let him hurt you girls okay? Now go to sleep." Martha kissed Kelly's head and stood up.

"Night Mommy." all three girls chimed.

"Night angels." she stopped at the door to turn out the light. The second darkness consumed the room three little nightlights kicked on. Martha watched her daughters for a moment she wished would fill all eternity. "Love you."

"Love you too Mommy." came the soft whisper.

Martha closed the door leaving just a crack so the light from the bathroom would be able to seep in. Down the hall just a bit was Nick's room. Pooh Bear graced his walls with honey pots and bees on the border, a large stuffed Tiger sat in the rocker, a little Piglet leaned against Kanga with little Roo in her pouch, and the greatest depressed donkey to ever live, Eeyore, was tucked in her son's tiny arms. When she was a child she'd always imagined heaven as a place full of clouds and beautiful angels with huge feathered wings. Harps constantly playing and mixing with the voices of so many people singing church hymns. There was no end to the warmth and laughter of her heaven. But it was different now. Now her heaven was this time of every night. When she assured her daughters that even though so little was right with the world they were safe and always would be. When her son slept so peacefully he might already be curled in the arms of an angel in heaven. There was Johnson and Johnson No More Tears baby shampoo floating through the air dancing with hundreds of stories starting with 'Once upon a time' and ending with 'Happily ever after'. This was perfection. Heaven.

Martha crossed the room gently padding on the soft carpet. She stroked the head of her sleeping child. Then cranked the mobile over his bed letting the "I'm Just a Little Black Rain Cloud" play cutting in between the scent of shampoo and fairy tales. A shadow crossed the room spiking fear in the young woman. She turned around and there stood Billy-Jack leaning into the room fingers wrapped around the door frame. He nodded in the direction of their bedroom. She took another look at her son before following her husband. As every night he watched her change into her nightgown and didn't climb into bed himself until she was nearly asleep

"John! It's me. The demon is coming after Martha. You know where the house is get there like yesterday!" Autumn threw her phone down and pushed harder on the gas. If the cops wanted to pull her over they could just follow her to the house. Hell they might even turn useful.

"Autumn, you need to slow down before you get us killed." Athena warned gently. They both knew it wasn't ever going to happen. You don't just learn about this guy and take it slow.

"Teenie, on my phone hit 5 then send and hand it back to me." Autumn said glancing at the clock it was just after eight.

"Why? Whose number five?" Athena queried doing as she was told.

"It's Jen. There are some things that can be done once we get there to get a lock on this son of a bitch. He's not leaving that house alive." Autumn took the phone and growled impatiently at the ringing.

"Hello Jennifer Raining's office, Molly speaking."

"Hey Molly. Get me Jen, now." Autumn tried to sound polite but her nerves had ebbed away all her patience.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" the young woman on the other end asked.

"Santa Clause. It doesn't matter who the hell this is just get me Jen."

"Ma'am you need to calm down do you have an appointment?"

"No, this is Autumn Daemon. I'm an old friend of Jen's and if I don't speak with her right now innocent people are going to die." Autumn could hear Molly gulp.

"Just one moment please." she heard the phone crash against the desk and buttons being frantically pressed.

"What's wrong Autty?" just hearing Jen's voice calmed her considerably.

"We've been traveling with the Winchester boys. Well, Sammy's having vision or something. A friend of mine is about to be attacked by John's Demon. What do I do?" Jen took a long moment before responding.

"I don't know. John's supposed to have the colt now. I'd call him in."

"I did that. No answer." Autumn was starting to get jittery again.

"There's a practice. It's not been done in a very long time. Since before my family got in the business."

"What is it?"

"Autumn, hunters stopped because they started becoming less and less members of society. It probably won't even work." Jen tried to explain.

"Jen, I don't fight to lose. What do I do."

"If a person is possessed by the demon they have access to all of it's weak points. According to what I've been told, a possessed person would need to form all their emotions into a sort of dagger and drive it through the heart of the demon. The most important emotion in this has to be love, like for the targeted person, and the possessed has to be in a state of pure selflessness."

"How do you form the dagger?"

"Autumn, no one knows. When you do this your in essence making your soul a weapon. You and the demon are both destroyed. You really have a better chance at shooting the damn thing with the colt. But that's not the best plan either. Too big a risk of missing…. I can try and call Will. He's got the books." Autumn let out a sigh and muttered a prayer under her breath.

"No, all the information would get scattered we'd never be able to do anything with out messing it up. A ritual to weaken the demon could end up strengthening it. Or we could even make him immortal." Autumn looked over at Athena who was chewing clear through her lip. "We can't risk that either. You have John's number?"

"Yea."

"I'm driving, no distractions. Will you keep trying to get a hold of him. Tell him its going to be at my house. He'll know where that is."

"Okay, be safe. I don't want to put more crosses in my yard." Jen tried to sound cheery.

"We will." Autumn closed her phone and dropped it back on the seat between her and her sister.

"This'll all work out Autty, it always does."

Nick's fussing woke Martha up. She sat up and looked at Billy-Jack, no surprise he was sound asleep. She slid out of bed and practically glided into her son. He quieted when he saw her. She whispered to him for a moment until his little eyes closed again. Martha yawned and turned around to leave. But there was a dark shadow of a man in the door way. She wasn't sure how she knew but she knew it wasn't her husband. The little hairs on her arms stood on end, even her eyebrows stuck up. Her blood ran cold. But she forced herself to speak.

"Who are you?" her voice shook. The man didn't answer. "Who are you and why the hell are you in my house?" she tried again.

She managed to keep her voice level but this didn't seem to have any affect on the man. She stepped forward gathering herself up as she did. Puff up like a male turkey it works for the. She made it two steps before she was slammed back against the wall by an invisible force. Now, she knew something was wrong. The lights in the hall were flickering. The baby monitor was picking up the police scanner. Martha found herself sliding up the wall toward the ceiling. As she gazed down panic stricken things started to click she knew what was going on now.

"HELP!" she screamed.

Nick woke back up and started crying. Surely, someone would wake up. Even if it were just the girls, they'd get Billy-Jack up. She opened her mouth to yell again but no sound came out. An incredible pain erupted in her stomach. She could feel a hot, sticky, liquid seeping through her white gown. The pain didn't even compare to the natural childbirth she'd had with the girls. She couldn't control the tears that began raining on her son. Blood and tears fell staining the afghan Athena had crocheted for him. The baby kept screaming at the top of his little lungs. As much as she hurt all she wanted to do was comfort him.

The shadow man stepped into the room and went to lean over her son. He caressed the child's head. It was the strangest thing she'd ever witnessed. For this thing to be so evil it was so tender with her child. She felt a voice echo in her head.

"Shh child. It's almost over."

But little Nick wasn't having any of it he kept screaming. Then the fire started. Just as her stomach had exploded with a red blossom it down sprouted fire. The flames immediately covered the ceiling burning her alive. She started screaming careless of the fact that no one could hear her. The roar of the flames made her deaf to all sound. The intense heat blinded her from the rest of the world.

Dean and Sam were out of the car the second it shut off. The whole upper level of the house was engulfed in flame. Athena was trying to hold her sister back on the front porch and not doing too good a job of it. But besides the two women there was no one else insight. They both knew this meant that Martha and her family were still trapped inside. Together they rushed the porch.

"Go in get the kids get out." Dean said commanded. No one blinked before diving in the house. The stairs were right inside the door. Together they raced up them. Even above the flames eating at the house they could hear the girls cries for help. Just barely Dean caught a glimpse of Billy-Jack standing in the door way of a room just a few yards away.

"Billy! BILLY!" Autumn didn't hesitate before jumping into the fire. She took hold of her ex and shoved him back toward the others. "Get the girls and get out!"

"AUTUMN NO!" Billy-Jack turned too late. The woman had already gone into the nursery. Dean had been standing stock still watching this unfold. He hadn't noticed Sam and Athena go in the girls' room.

"Daddy!" Kayla dove out of Sam's arms into her father's. All three girls looked fine faces buried into the chest of their captors.

"I'll get Autumn! Get them out of here!" Dean told the others. Sam started to say something but he shook his head. "No time just get out!"

"Now! Move! MOVE! MOVE!" Sam shouted sounding ever bit like his father.

Athena and Billy-Jack stumbled down the stairs. Arms out feeling for the wall. The smoke was too thick to see now. Dean pressed on hand against the nearest wall. It was so hot. He followed it until he got to the next door. He poked his head in. Bathroom. Swearing he came back out and moved to the next one. Autumn held a small bundle against her chest trying to find away past something that was blocking the door. He pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose then took a closer look. A beam had fallen in front of the door. The house was going down! When he looked up Autumn was smiling at him.

"Take the baby. Save yourself." she said it so calmly handing over the child. Dean excepted it tucking the boy into his coat where he wouldn't have to hold onto him much and could work at getting Autumn out. "I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." she was still smiling. She must have lost it. "Go before you can't."

"I'm not leaving without you." he told her. She shook her head.

"Get Nicholas out. Then if your still stupid you can come back. But get him out. Save the baby, dork." she actually managed to last part teasingly. Dean clutched the child closer to him.

"I'll be back."

The fire seemed to chase him out. It licked at his heels the whole way. He burst through the front door the same time the fire truck pulled in. Billy-Jack stood motionless, his daughters were gathered around Sam and Athena. All of them had their eyes locked on the front door. They were waiting on Autumn now. Dean collapsed a safe distance from the house. He peeled off his coat but it had started to melt to him. A fire fighter was on him in no time. Several others had hoses and were soaking the house.

"Is anyone else inside?" the man asked. Dean nodded panting.

"Yes, two women. Upstairs. Door two. On right." The fireman turned to his commrads and repeated this information.

"Let me see the kid." Dean didn't hesitate. Nick didn't seem to be breathing. No movement at all came from the baby. So while Billy-Jack stood with his son Dean went to watch with his brother. Kendra climbed up into his arms, and laid her head on his shoulder. Just as the firemen were ready to storm the house Autumn walked out. She moved almost like a puppet. She was slow and drawn out in her every move. She reached the end of the path that led to the front door and dropped.

"Oh God." Athena handed Kayla over to Sam and flew to her sister. An ambluance had shown up by this point and EMT's were on Autumn. One of them pushed Athena back. Sam sat the girls down, and they quickly attactched themselves to Dean, then went to Athena. She turned into him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Oh God." she said again. "Please." she pressed herself closer to Sam as if she could meld into him.

As the fire died down the sky opened up and snow poured to the ground thick and heavy. The EMT's carried Autumn right past him on stretcher. Her arms were charred black and her face blistered. Her hair was black and looked like if you touched it, it would all just turn to ash. Dean felt his chest tighten as he looked at her. It was like one of those horrible car accidents where no matter how bad you want to look away you can't. Kendra burst into tears. It wasn't fair. Hadn't Autumn been through enough?

"Where's Mommy?" Kelly asked tightening her grip on his leg.

"I don't know."

"Is Autty alive?" Kayla asked hugging herself.

"I don't know girls. I just don't know."

**A/N: So that was it. What happened to Autumn? Did Jen get ahold of John? Is little baby Nick going to make it? Why was Autumn so calm in the fire? You really want to know don't you? Well, then I guess you'll have to read the next story. I'll start it tonight, but that don't mean it'll be up by the time you read this. The next story is going to be titled From the Ashes. So look for it. If you haven't read The Boogeyman or Race to Kill you should read those and follow the Daemons and Winchesters from the start. MUCH LOVE. Thanks for reading R&R! Sarah and Katie**


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